West-Central Africa
division
ADULT SABBATH SCHOOL BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE: LESSONS FROM OLD TESTAMENT COUPLES
SEVENTH-DAY
ADVENTIST CHURCH
July
Aug
Sept 2007
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
L. Chad
Lake Volta
Porto
Novo
Porto
Novo
OuagadougouOuagadougou
YaoundéYaoundé
N’DjamenaN’Djamena
LibrevilleLibreville
BamakoBamako
NouakchottNouakchott
NiameyNiamey
AbujaAbuja
BanguiBangui
BrazzavilleBrazzaville
BanjulBanjul
AccraAccra
ConakryConakry
BissauBissau
AbidjanAbidjan
MonroviaMonrovia
DakarDakar
FreetownFreetown
LoméLomé
NIGERNIGER
MAURITANIAMAURITANIA
MALIMALI
NIGERIANIGERIA
CHADCHAD
GABONGABON
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLICCENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC
TOGOTOGO
BENINBENIN
TamaleTamale
GHANAGHANA
CÔTE
D'IVOIRE
CÔTE
D'IVOIRE
LIBERIALIBERIA
SIERRA
LEONE
SIERRA
LEONE
GUINEAGUINEA
BURKINA FASOBURKINA FASO
GAMBIAGAMBIA
DoualaDouala
CAMEROONCAMEROON
CONGOCONGO
EQUATORIAL GUINEAEQUATORIAL GUINEA
S
ENEGAL
S
ENEGAL
GUINEA
BISSAU
GUINEA
BISSAU
CAPE
VERDE
CAPE
VERDE
*EAQ070701*
*EAQ070701*
Where legally possible, offerings will go to these projects; otherwise special arrangement will be made with the
General Conference for distribution of funds based on the laws of the countries where these offerings are collected.
ADULT
SABBATH SCHOOL
BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
July
Aug
Sept 2007
Mission Projects
Our Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help congrega-
tions throughout West-Central Africa provide the following:
Churches for existing congregations in Benin, Gambia, Ghana,
Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone.
A secondary school in Nigeria and a primary school in
Cameroon.
Complete construction on phase one of the Adventist hospital in
Buea, Cameroon.
Establish evangelistic training centers in Liberia, Nigeria, and
Sierra Leone.
For more information, visit www.adventistmission.org
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Lessons From Old Testament Couples
ForBetter
or for :
Unions Churches Members Population
Central African 979 126,160 36,162,000
Eastern Nigeria 427 137,127 40,774,300
Ghana 986 307,370 22,019,000
North-Western Nigeria 319 96,560 90,755,700
Sahel 149 35,083 100,380,000
West African 95 38,338 10,403,000
Totals* 2,952 740,638 300,494,000
*Totals from Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook 2006
1
Contents
Editorial Assistants
Tresa Beard
Larie S. Gray
Jean Kellner
Pacific Press
®
Coordinator
Paul A. Hey
Art Director and Illustrator
Lars Justinen
Concept Design
Dever Design
Principal Contributor
Gordon Christo, Ph.D.
and Rosenita Christo, M.A.
Editor
Clifford R. Goldstein
Associate Editor
Soraya Homayouni Parish
Publication Manager
Lea Alexander Greve
The Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide is prepared by the Office of the Adult
Bible Study Guide of the Gener
al Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. The
preparation of the guides is under the gener
al direction of a worldwide Sabbath
School Manuscript Evaluation Committee, whose members serve as consulting
editors. The published guide reflects the input of the committee and thus does not
solely or necessar
ily represent the intent of the author(s).
1 Adam and Eve: The Intended Ideal—June 30–July 6 ————— 6
2 Abraham and Sarah: Faith Tested and Tried—July 7–13—14
3 Isaac and Rebekah: Rearing Rivals—July 14–2022
4 Jacob and Rachel: Labor of Love J u l y 2 1 2 7 —————————— 3 0
5 Moses and Zipporah: Relating With Relations—July 28–August 3–38
6 Samson and His Women: The Folly of Passion—August 4–10— 46
7 Boaz and Ruth: Firm Foundations—August 11–1756
8 Elkanah and Hannah: Fulfilling a Vow—August 18–2464
9 The Jobs: Living With Losses—August 25–31 72
10 David and Bathsheba: Adultery and After—September 1–780
11 Ahab and Jezebel: Abuse of Authority—September 8–14 88
12 Hosea and Gomer: Forgiving the Unfaithful—September 15–21–96
13 Yahweh and Israel: Fulfillment Beyond Failure—September 22–28
—————————————————————————————104
Editorial Office 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904
Come visit us at our Web site at [http://www.absg.adventist.org]
In his will, German poet Heinrich
Heine offered his estate to the man who
married his widow. The reason, he said,
was that this way hed be sure that there
would be at least one person who
mourned his death.
Of all the devastating effects of sin, one
of the worst has to be what it has done to
marriage. From what we can gather from Scripture (and the wonder-
ful insights from the Spirit of Prophecy), marriage was meant to be
one of the most uplifting and edifying aspects of human existence. It
was designed to reveal our humanity in ways that nothing else could.
As if God, after the earth came forth from His creative word, hadnt
already done enough for the race. In His love for us He gave us more,
perhaps what was to be even the best blessing of all—marriage.
Of course, from the first bite of the forbidden fruit, things went
from bad to worse. In the Bible account, right after the first couple
sinned, the first thing we see is how sin immediately impacted their
relationship. “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew
that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made
themselves aprons
(Gen. 3:7). Nothing between men and women,
husbands and wives, has been the same ever since.
What should have been a source of joy, freedom, and fulfillment has
become, too often, a source of misery, oppression, and despair. Not
always (indeed, in many cases marriages are wonderful expressions of
spiritual and physical unity that helps complete a human being), but
still far too often.
This quarter were going to look at married couples in the Old
Testament, not so much as a study on the principles of marriage but
rather to use married couples (though in many cases the marriages
were composed of more than “couples”) as a starting point to learn
various lessons—about faith, works, obedience, hope, trust, love, and
For Better or for Worse:
Marriage was
meant to be one of
the most uplifting
and edifying aspects
of human existence.
2
a host of other aspects of what it means to be a follower of the Lord
in a fallen world.
It makes good sense to use marriage as a starting point, simply
because marriage is so fundamental to human existence. This rela-
tionship forms the foundation of the family, and its out of the family
that (for the most part) we propagate ourselves. Also, considering how
often marriage is used in the Bible as a symbol for various spiritual
truths, it seems to be a good starting point.
Of course, not everyone is married; many of the great Bible charac-
ters—Daniel, John the Baptist, and even Jesus—werent (maybe we
ought to do a quarter on the singles in the Bible!). Nevertheless, the
principles we can learn from studying these marriages often can be
applied to various aspects of our lives, whether married or not.
Thus, for the next few months as we explore the relationships of
various couples—Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Ruth and
Boaz, even Ahab and Jezebel, and more—we’ll seek to mine from the
Word of God practical truths that we can apply to our daily relation-
ships with one another and with the Lord, who says to His people:
“For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee:
and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God
rejoice over thee
(Isa. 62:5).
Our two authors this quarter have been happily married for many
years. Gordon Christo is director of collegiate education of the
Southern Asia Division; his wife, Rosenita, works in the division
office. They have two grown children.
Lessons From
Old Testament Couples
3
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6
L ESSON
1
*June 30–July 6
Adam and Eve: The
Intended Ideal
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
Gen. 1:26, 2:18–3:16.
Memory Text:
“For this reason a man will leave his father and
mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh”
(Genesis 2:24, NIV).
T
he story of Adam and Eve has a beautiful beginning but a sad
ending. God had provided for them everything good. They were
a handsome groom and a pretty bride, untainted with any
blemish in their characters or body. They lived in a beautiful garden
home with no need to worry about anything. To top it all, God even
gave them the prospect of everlasting life. The beginning of their mar-
riage was better than that of any fairy tale.
However, the ending was as far as possible from the fairy-tale end-
ing of “living happily ever after.The story ends with Adam and Eve
losing it all—for themselves and for all other couples and individuals
to follow. It’s a powerful example of the cost of sin. We should learn
well from this story about what deviation from the will of God brings.
The Week at a Glance:
Adam and Eve, as originally cre-
ated, bore the express image of their Maker. What does that
mean? Even more so, what happened when that image was defiled
by sin? What can we learn from the sad story of their fall?
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 7.
7
SUNDAY
July 1
The Image of God
“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He
created him; male and female He created them”
(Gen. 1:27, NKJV).
The meaning of what constitutes the “image of God” can be under-
stood partly through the clarifying statement that follows in the text—
“male and female He created them. Male and female together reflect
the image of God. One gender complements the other and is incomplete
by itself. Male and female human beings were not meant to live sepa-
rately but to seek the other naturally. This combination of male and
female is necessary for the preservation of society and the continuity of
human history.
Many have associated God with solely the masculine gender. Though
the Hebrew word for God has a masculine plural ending and takes mas-
culine forms of the verb, the Bible also includes feminine imagery and
qualities for God.
What
feminine images for the attributes of God are used here? Deut.
32:11; Isa. 49:15, 16; 66:12, 13; Hos. 13:8; Matt. 23:37.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
In support of this complementary nature of the genders is the idea
of the plurality in God. The pronoun used for God is in the plural:
‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness’ (Gen. 1:26, NIV).
How
might the plurality of the Godhead reflect the idea of man and
woman together reflecting the image of God?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Plurality in the Godhead is necessary because God is love. In order
for love to exist, there must be someone to love and someone to be
loved. Male and female in their partnership reflect this plurality. Like
God, it is natural for man and woman to be united in love. Love marks
a basic human relationship. Humans li
v
e to lo
v
e and are not complete
unless they do so, whether or not that love is expressed in a marriage
relationship. Single people can express love in other ways. After all,
Jesus was single.
How does the love expressed to us through the death of Jesus
(John 15:13) help us better understand what love is really about?
8
MONDAY
July 2
A Suitable Helper
Why
did the Lord make a wife for Adam? Gen. 2:18.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Why
was it not good for Adam to be “alone”? After all, didn’t he have
the companionship of the animals, and even God Himself?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Genesis 2:18–22 suggests that even though God observed the need to
create a companion for the man, He delayed creating the woman till after
all the animals were named. As we read the narrative, we feel with Adam
his increasing awareness of being alone. He could not help noticing that
as God brought animals and birds before him to be named, they came in
pairs. He gave the same name to the pair, but he had to observe that one
was male and one female. They provided companionship for each other
in a way that no other animal or bird could. In contrast, for him “no suit-
able helper was found”
(Gen. 2:20, NIV). His aloneness was glaring.
As God had created day by day, He was able to remark at the end of
the day, when He reviewed His work, that it was “good.” He also uses the
same word in the context of Adam, only in a different way. He says that
it is not “good” that the man was alone.
How
did God describe the wife He was about to make for Adam? Gen.
2:18.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
God did not comment that He would make merely a helper to or for
Adam but one to complement him. The Hebrew literally means “like his
opposite.” His partner was not there just to be a helper—to prepare the
food, to bear children, or even to tend the garden. Eve was to be his com-
plement—his opposite, a partner in the true sense of the term. Her value
is for the person she is.
Also, the idea of a helper hardl
y denotes a per
-
son of lesser quality, not when the Bible often refers to God as One who
helps humankind
(see Pss. 30:10, 54:4, 121:2, Heb. 13:6).
Think about someone y
ou kno
w now who might be suffering
from loneliness. How much of yourself are you willing to give up
in order to help?
TUESDAY
9
July 3
Husband and Wife
In Genesis 2:23 Adam’s initial feeling upon seeing Eve was not
romance but relief. In Hebrew his first word can be translated vari-
ously as “now,” or “this time,” but the translation that fits best is “At
last!” Now, at last, here was a living being with whom he could truly
identify. She was not just his counterpart; being made from his rib, she
was a literal part of him. Matthew Henry said that the woman was “not
made out of his head to top him, nor out of his feet to be trampled
upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm
to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.
Read
1 Corinthians 11:11, 12. What important point about unity and
togetherness that should exist between husband and wife is Paul
making here?
Read
Genesis 2:24. What change in allegiance and priorities is de-
manded by this text?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
The text is not requiring one to leave the parents’ home and join the
spouse’s family home, as is done in some societies. The spirit of the
text here requires both husband and wife to change their priorities. No
longer do parents have first claim. This is serious in cultures such as
in the Old Testament, where children were to honor their parents
throughout their lives. This, of course, should continue today, but after
marriage, loyalty is to the spouse over the parents.
Commenting on Genesis 2:24, Jesus declared that husband and wife
‘are no longer two, but one’
(Matt. 19:6, NIV). Husband and wife
are to be united, socially, emotionally, and spiritually, even as the
Trinity, though Three, is One. This is one way in which husband and
wife reflect the “image of God.
If you are married, what things can you do, what attitudes do
you need to change, in order to be more closely united with your
spouse? If you’re not married, what changes do you need to
make in order to have better and closer relationships with the
people around you?
WEDNESDAY
10
July 4
Two Are Better Than One
Read Genesis 3:1–6. Several elements in the narrative suggest that Eve
was alone when she succumbed to the temptation. (1) The serpent
addresses only the woman. (2) Adam seems absent and is not mentioned
till Eve gives him the fruit. (3) Adam is cursed only for listening to his
wife and not for listening to the serpent.
Several versions of the Bible and certain commentaries suggest that
Adam was with Eve at the time she was tempted
(Gen. 3:6). The
Hebrew has several words that may be translated “with.Two impor-
tant ones are etzel and im. The latter is used in this passage.
Etzel is the preposition that is used to denote location beside or next
to something. (See Gen. 39:15, 18.) By contrast, im denotes relation-
ship. “Immanuel” in Isaiah 7:14 and 8:8, 10 begins with the preposi-
tion im and means “God with us.” It is a relational position and not
geographical. Genesis 3:6 therefore does not strictly demand that we
see Adam positioned beside Eve when she is tempted. Adam used the
same preposition in Genesis 3:12 to remind God about the woman He
had put with him. It is a relational “with.” Had he been with her, she
might not have succumbed. “The angels had cautioned Eve to beware
of separating herself from her husband while occupied in their daily
labor in the garden; with him she would be in less danger from temp-
tation than if she were alone.”—Ellen G. White,
Patriarchs and
Prophets,
p. 53.
Keeping
in mind the context of today’s lesson, what’s the message
for us in the following texts:
Prov. 11:14
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Eccles. 4:9–11
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
James 5:16
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
How have you experienced the help, protection, and good advice
of others? Ho
w willing ar
e y
ou to g
et,
or even to give, help when
needed? Bring to class an example of when the presence and/or
help of others made a big difference for you.
THURSDAY
11
July 5
The Curse on the Relationship
‘Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over
you’ (Gen. 3:16, NIV).
In one stroke Adam and Eve lost everything—innocence, rulership,
immortality, Edenic home, and security. What they got in exchange
was guilt, competition with beasts, expulsion, fear, struggle for exist-
ence, death, etc. A couple in a perfectly harmonious love relationship
can bear all kinds of hardship together, but in addition to all these
other losses they suffered the disruption of their ideal relationship.
Adam would develop a tendency to dominate, and this attitude
would mar their relationship. God foresaw that some men would
extend their leadership role to subjugation by force. This was not
decreed by God. He didn’t address Adam telling him what to do; He
addressed Eve, telling her what would be a consequence of her sin.
This is contrary to the original intention of God for husband-wife rela-
tionships.
Read
1 Timothy 2:11–14. What point is Paul making, and how does
he tie this point to the Fall?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
The Bible considers it to be the correct attitude for a woman to sub-
mit herself to her husband (1 Pet. 3:1). The illustration of Sarah obey-
ing Abraham and calling him “master” is provided as an example of
true subordination. Yet, wives are told not to give way to fear (vs. 6,
NIV). Similarly, husbands are instructed to treat their wives with love
and respect. Peter indicates that neglecting to do this “will hinder your
prayers” (vs. 7, NIV). These are instructions for a post-Fall relation-
ship.
If you have caused pain to your spouse (or anyone) through a
mistake, how can you help that aggrieved person recover? You
can’t change the past; what can you do, however, to improve the
future in regard to your relationships?
12
FRIDAY
July 6
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “The Eden Home a Pattern,
pp. 25–28, in The Adventist Home.
“In the creation God had made her [Eve] the equal of Adam. Had
they remained obedient to God—in harmony with His great law of
love—they would ever have been in harmony with each other; but sin
had brought discord, and now their union could be maintained and
harmony preserved only by submission on the part of the one or the
other. . . . Had the principles enjoined in the law of God been cher-
ished by the fallen race, this sentence, though growing out of the
results of sin, would have proved a blessing to them; but man’s abuse
of the supremacy thus given him has too often rendered the lot of
woman very bitter and made her life a burden.”—Ellen G. White,
Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 58, 59.
Discussion Questions:
Why is it that in homes, societies, and organizations it seems
best to have one who is first among equals—a leader, for better
functioning? What are the advantages of such an arrangement?
At the same time, what are the dangers?
As a class, go over your responses to Wednesday’s lesson. What
can you learn from each other? Also, how do you as a class help
each other? Discuss how you could better use the advantages of
a group to help individual members who are struggling with
whatever issues they face.
Though these lessons are in the context of marriage, what
principles can we take from what we’ve learned and apply to
other relationships?
What does your church do to help women who are in abusive
home situations? What more could, and should, you do?
Summary:
The relationship of equality, mutual love, and respect
between Adam and Eve was intended as the ideal for all couples. How-
ever, the ideal was marred by sin, and today conflicts plague marriages.
We should strive to allow the Holy Spirit to re-create in us the original
image of God.
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
INSIDE
13
Free!
by MARADONA MAGUBA
As a soldier in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I was sent to pro-
tect the local people in an area where heavy fighting had taken place. The
people were holding evangelistic meetings, so I listened as I guarded
them.
My unit was moved to another area before the evangelistic meetings
ended. After a month of heavy fighting, I just wanted to die. I decided to
go to church before I died, but I did not know of a church nearby. Then I
heard someone broadcasting religious meetings. I followed the sound and
found the Seventh-day Adventist church. Once more I heard the message
of grace and the law.
When my unit was moved again, I found an Adventist church where I
could worship. But my commander refused to let me attend church on
Saturday. When I was caught sneaking to church, I was beaten.
I saw no way to worship in freedom, so I fled the military. I knew I could
be sent to prison if they found me, so I hid among the Pygmy people,
where I thought no one would look for me. But I was captured and taken
back to camp. There soldiers put me into a deep hole I could not climb out
of.
I am a mechanic, and one day they took me from the hole to repair their
car. I fixed the car and ran away again. This time I went to the city where
I had attended church. I found the pastor, who told me that soldiers were
searching for me, but he wanted to help me.
I stayed with the pastor for two days. Then he took me to my former
commander and arranged for my release from the military so I could work
for the church. Praise God, the commander released me. I was a free man!
I drove the truck for the church and studied the Bible. A year later I was
baptized into God’s church. Today I am truly
free—free from the military, free to serve the
Lord.
MARADONA MAGUBA
(left) shares his faith in Goma,
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
S
tor
14
L ESSON
2
*July 7–July 13
Abraham and Sarah: Faith
Tested and Tried
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
Gen. 12:2, 16:1–5, 22,
James 2:20–26.
Memory Text:
“By faith Abraham, even though he was past
age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a
father because he considered him faithful who had made the
promise” (Hebrews 11:11, NIV).
B
y delaying the fulfillment of their promised child, God tested
Abraham’s and Sarah’s faith. Many New Testament authors
point to Abraham as the prime example of faith
(Romans 4 and
Hebrews 11). Later in Hebrews 11 Abraham is commended for his
faith in offering Isaac as a sacrifice. James depicts Abraham as an
example of both faith and works working together (James 2:23, 24).
Genesis presents Abraham as a God-fearing man, hospitable to
guests, magnanimous to relatives and servants, and respected by kings
and other peoples. Sarah, however, remains mostly in the background.
In the story of the near sacrifice of Isaac, where Abraham’s faith is
tested, Sarah is not even mentioned. The only times Sarah appears to
take the initiative is first in offering Hagar to Abraham and next in
insisting that the maidservant and her son Ishmael be sent away. What
can we learn from this faithful but flawed couple?
The Week at a Glance:
Though pr
aised f
or faith,
Abraham
and Sarah were time and again examples of those who actually
seemed to lack faith in God.
*Study this week’s lesson to pr
epare for Sabbath, July 14.
15
SUNDAY
July 8
Human Solutions for God’s Promise
This first promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:2) was not fulfilled within
a “reasonable” time, and Abraham and his wife grew quite old. The
older they got, the more serious became the matter of an heir or,
rather, the lack of one. How could God’s promises be fulfilled? Could
Abraham be excused if he sought other interpretations of the promise?
Abraham and Sarah first offered to adopt their servant Eliezer
(Gen.
15:2, 3, NIV). Some ancient Nuzi tablets, dating to before the time of
the patriarchs, shed light on the custom of a childless couple adopting
a servant or his son to inherit property. In return the adopted servant
had to ensure the adoptive parents a decent burial. The contract stated,
however, that it would not stand if the couple subsequently had their
own child. Abraham was within his legal rights to think of such a solu-
tion. It was an accepted custom.
How
does the second promise in Genesis 15:4, 5 eliminate Eliezer as
the promised heir? What more does it promise Abraham about his
offspring?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
The next attempt to secure an heir originated from Sarah. After they
had been in Canaan ten years, she suggested that Abraham marry her
maidservant Hagar (Gen. 16:1–3). Again, some Nuzi tablets have par-
allels. The wife of a childless couple could give her slave girl to her
husband, retaining authority over any children that may result from the
union. The Nuzi contracts also state that the son borne by a slave girl
would inherit all the property unless the legal wife bore a son later. A
son born thus to Abraham would even fulfill God’s promise of “com-
ing from Abraham’s body.
How
does the third promise, in Genesis 17:16, 19, go beyond the ear-
lier promises? How does it eliminate Ishmael as the promised
heir? Read the fourth promise, in Genesis 18:10, 14. How is it the
most specific?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Twenty-five years passed as Abraham and Sarah waited for the
promised heir. With each promise and with each year that passed, God
made it more e
vident that the son w
ould be a miracle child.
In the context of today’s lesson, read Genesis 15:6 and Romans
4:3. What hope can you draw from these texts?
MONDAY
16
July 9
Telling Lies
Though Abraham and Sarah were both children of Terah, they did
not share the same mother. When God called Abraham to leave home,
one of his concerns in facing the unknown was related to his beauti-
ful wife. Abraham could not trust the morals of the heathen, so he told
Sarah, his wife and half sister, to declare, wherever they went, that she
was his sister rather than his wife
(Gen. 20:12, 13).
What
reasons did Abraham give for asking Sarah to lie? How valid
and logical were those reasons? Why do you think he showed such
a lack of trust? See Gen. 12:11–13.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
During periods of famine, Canaanites often went to Egypt, where
the fields were watered by the Nile. This was no trip to purchase food
but a desire to settle there for a while
(Gen. 12:10). However, escap-
ing the danger of the famine brought a new danger. Though Sarah was
in her 60s, her beauty still caused heads to turn. Abraham’s fear was
well founded. The Egyptians found her beauty striking enough to
report the matter to Pharaoh. It is difficult to imagine how Abraham
hoped to get out of this situation other than by lying.
God intervened by sending plagues upon Pharaoh
(vs. 17), and
Pharaoh lost no time in restoring Sarah to her husband and in reprov-
ing Abraham for his error. The chastised Abraham discovered that
Egyptian ethics were superior to his, and that his lack of faith in God
was unfounded.
Abraham and Sarah, however, forgot this lesson. Even though much
time had passed, or maybe because it had, they repeated this same mis-
take
(Gen. 20:2).
Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which you felt you
had to lie in order to get out of a problem? Review what hap-
pened: What was your course of action that brought you to that
situation to begin with? What w
as the r
esult of your lie? What
caused you to show such a lack of faith? What lessons did you
learn that could help you from making the same mistakes
again?
TUESDAY
17
July 10
Laughing at God
Read
Genesis 17:15–17. What was Abraham’s response to the prom-
ise made to him?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
What
was his other immediate reaction to the promise? Gen. 17:18.
Why was that such a natural reaction despite God’s clear words to
him?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Abraham lived to be 175 years old (Gen. 25:7). Sarah died at the
age of 127 (Gen. 23:1). Their son, Isaac, lived to 180 (Gen. 35:28).
Proportionately, it could be today as though Abraham and Sarah were
in their 50s when this promise was made to them again. Not surpris-
ingly, the normally unflappable Abraham fell on his face laughing
when God repeated the promise of the child to be born to them.
A short while later three heavenly visitors came to Abraham, and
while they ate the food Sarah prepared, one of them predicted that the
promised child would be born in about a year
(Gen. 18:10). Like typi-
cal Bedouin women, Sarah had stayed out of sight but not out of hear-
ing. Just behind the entrance to the tent she laughed to herself when
she heard the prediction
(vs. 12). This was not a laugh of joy but an
element of disbelief.
Though
Sarah lied in response to the Lord’s inquiry, what was the
reason she laughed? Gen. 18:11, 12.
Paul in Romans 4:19 describes Sarah’s womb as dead. Indeed, she
was from a purely physical standpoint way past childbearing age.
When questioned, she tried to cover her disbelief with a lie. The lie did
not do its work, and the matter closed on that uncomfortable note.
When the promised child was born, as instructed by God, Abraham
named him Isaac, which means “he laughs”
(Gen. 17:19). The word
Yitzhak means what it sounds like—a loud, explosive laugh. Sarah
added, “ ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about
this will laugh with me’ (Gen. 21:6, NIV).
Write a paragr
aph a
bout what you believe is the most impor-
tant lesson for us in this account of Abraham and Sarah. Bring
your response to class on Sabbath.
18
WEDNESDAY
July 11
Trouble Because of Unbelief
“Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong
I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she
knows she is pregnant, she despises me’
(Gen. 16:5, NIV; see also
Gen. 16:1–6, 21:8–13, Gal. 4:21–31).
Of the Nuzi tablets referred to earlier, one of them has a close paral-
lel with the Abraham-Hagar episode. Kelim-ninu is given in marriage
to Shennima. The contract states that if Kelim-ninu is barren, she is to
take the initiative in obtaining a slave girl for Shennima. Any children
the slave girl bears will come under the authority of Kelim-ninu.
Among the gifts that Pharaoh lavished on Abraham and Sarah in
Egypt were menservants and maidservants (Gen. 12:16). Hagar, her
personal maidservant, was an Egyptian and may have been one of
those given them by Pharaoh.
When
Hagar realized she was pregnant, she belittled her mistress.
How was this attitude emulated by her son? Gen. 21:9.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Sarah was the first to realize her mistake in giving her maidservant to
be a concubine. This became a thorn in their relationship, and it brought
grief to all of them. Ishmael was about seventeen when Isaac was
weaned (about three). The occasion that sidelined him caused Ishmael
to mock (the Hebrew word is
metzahek) Isaac. Not a happy laugh but a
derisive one. Sarah sensed his presence as a threat and insisted that the
slave mother and son be dismissed. God concurred (Gen. 21:12).
While
Paul does not name Sarah and Hagar, it is obvious that he
refers to them in the New Testament. What does he use these
women to symbolize? Gal. 4:21–31.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Paul further adds that those who attempt to gain salvation by works
are in spiritual bondage and tend to persecute those who rely on faith
and grace for their salv
ation and w
ho are free.
What day-by-da
y things can y
ou do to incr
ease y
our trust in
God and thus avoid the kind of disastrous decisions that unbe-
lief can lead to?
19
THURSDAY
July 12
Ultimate Demonstration of Faith
Read
Genesis 22. What great lesson about faith, and the cost of faith,
can you take out of this story?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Canaanites practiced child sacrifice for centuries. Molech and
Chemosh, the national gods of the Ammonites and the Moabites,
required that children be offered to them in a fire. Assyrians around
800
B.C. offered children to the god Adramelech. Though revolting,
the custom does reveal commitment. No parent can easily give up a
child to be burnt. Yet the practice must be seen as selfish, for it sacri-
fices the life of a helpless child for the gain of the parents. Mesha,
king of Moab, offered his heir to the throne when he faced defeat in
battle
(2 Kings 3:27).
The Israelites would be faced with this custom as they prepared to
enter the Promised Land. Read in Leviticus 18:21 the specific instruc-
tion of God regarding this practice. Note in 2 Kings 16:3 the extent of
the practice in Israel and Judah.
Abraham could well have been smug in his confidence that his God
would never require him to do what his pagan neighbors did in their
devotion to false gods. His son was the gift from God. Imagine his
shock when God actually instructed him to sacrifice his son; imagine
how he must have felt about the prospect of coming home to Sarah
with the blood of their son on his hands! However, Abraham knew the
voice of God and trusted Him. In fact, he informs his servants that
‘we will come back to you’
(Gen. 22:5, NIV), reasoning that God
could raise him from the dead (Heb. 11:19).
James uses Abraham as an example of faith and works. James 2:22
makes the key point, how works and faith go together.
We’re not all called upon to make such great sacrifices for the
Lord. But we do need to make them anyway. Look at how you’ve
lived your life during the past year. What kind of choices have
you made? Are they choices that reflect an attitude of surrender
to God? If not,
w
hat chang
es m
ust you make?
20
FRIDAY
July 13
Further Study:
Ellen G. White, “The Test of Faith,” pp. 145–155,
in Patriarchs and Prophets.
“This was not the first occasion on which Abraham had passed
Sarah off as his sister. It would almost seem to have been his usual
practice, but that heretofore Egypt had been the only place where the
ruse caused trouble. Years of success in employing the same decep-
tion, since that bitter experience with Pharaoh, had made Abraham
forgetful of its lesson of strict rectitude. . . .
“However that may be, the time for the birth of the promised seed
was rapidly approaching . . . and Satan took advantage of Abraham’s
weakness to thwart the divine plan.”—
The SDA Bible Commentary,
vol. 1, p. 341.
“We need the faith of Abraham in our day, to lighten the darkness
that gathers around us, shutting out the sweet sunlight of God’s love,
and dwarfing spiritual growth. Our faith should be prolific of good
works; for faith without works is dead.”—Ellen G. White, The Faith I
Live By, p. 115.
Discussion Questions:
As a class, go over your answers to Tuesday’s final question.
What can you learn from one another?
As a class, share your thoughts on the fact that despite their
faults, mistakes, and lack of judgment, Abraham and Sarah are
held up as examples of faith. What hope does that present that
you could use to encourage those who feel, perhaps, that their
failures are too much and that God has rejected them?
Have those who are willing talk about a time when they had to
make a great sacrifice for God. What can you learn from their
experiences?
The mistake with Hagar brought a great amount of grief to
the family. How can you help any families you know now who are
suffering because of mistakes made by the parents?
Summary:
Abraham’s and Sarah’s deficiency in faith is highlighted
by the duplication of their errors in offering substitute heirs, lying, and
laughing. They were not perfect humans, but they loved God and fol-
lowed His commands. Ultimately, they are examples of great faith.
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
INSIDE
21
Good Life From Bad
Maria Medina grew up in Chile with an abusive father. She had to quit
school at age 15 to work. The next year her mother fled home, taking
Maria with her. When Maria became pregnant at 18, she preferred to raise
the child alone rather than take a chance that the baby’s father might
become the same abusive kind of man that her father had been. She shared
a small apartment with her new baby, her mother, and her brother. They
managed the best they could.
When she was 21, an Adventist neighbor gave her some literature about
God and offered to study the Bible with her. Maria loved reading the
Bible. For the first time in her life she realized that God loves her. She
began attending the Seventh-day Adventist church and was overjoyed with
her new relationship with God.
As she learned of the power of forgiveness, she realized that she must
forgive her father for what he had done to her and the family. His alco-
holism had stolen everything the family had worked so hard for, and he
still drank. She prayed about going back for months before she felt strong
enough to go. Then she confronted her father. “Father,” she said, “I forgive
you for what you have done to me and to our family. I want to live with-
out hate in my heart, so I forgive you.
“How can you forgive me for what I have done to you and your
mother?” he sobbed. Then he told her he had tried to stop drinking, but
had not yet broken the habit, though he was drinking far less than when
the family lived with him.
Maria’s mother and brother are deaf. She has shared her faith with them,
but it has been difficult for them to make friends in the church. Eventually,
however, they accepted the Adventist faith and joined the church.
Maria rejoices that God has brought so much good into her life, a life
that started out so badly. She loves to share
her faith with others.
Mission offerings provide materials and
evangelistic outreach to lead people such as
Maria to Christ. Thank you.
MARIA MEDIN
A
(left) lives in southern Chile
, where she
shares her faith with all who will listen.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
S
tor
22
L ESSON
3
*July 14–July 20
Isaac and Rebekah: Rearing
Rivals
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
Genesis 26–28.
Memory Text:
‘May God Almighty bless you, And make you
fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples’
(Genesis 28:3, NKJV).
I
saac and Rebekah duplicated many events of Abraham’s and
Sarah’s lives. (1) Isaac laid claim to the covenant promises that had
been made by God to Abraham. (2) Both Sarah and Rebekah were
barren an unreasonably long time. (3) Both families endured disputes
about ownership of wells with local people among whom they had
been instructed by God to live. (4) Both Abraham and Isaac took their
families to a foreign land to ride out a famine. (5) Abraham informed
the people of Gerar that Sarah, his wife, was his half sister. Isaac told
the same people, a generation later, that Rebekah, his wife, was his
sister. (6) Both families had to deal with sibling rivalry.
At the same time, too, Isaac and Rebekah had a lot going for them
in their marriage and home. Too bad some wrong choices were made,
choices that led to painful consequences for the whole family.
Let’s learn what we can from their mistakes, in hopes of not doing
the same thing ourselves.
The Week at a Glance:
However different their environ-
ment from ours, we can learn some good spiritual lessons from the
story of this dysfunctional family.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 21.
23
SUNDAY
July 15
The Arrangement
Read
Genesis 24 and then answer the following questions:
1. Why would Abraham be so adamant that his son not take a
wife from among the Canaanites?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What was the key to the servant’s success in finding the right
woman for Isaac?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. What do we learn from this story about the character and
faith of Rebekah? How might these attributes have contributed to
making her the right choice for Isaac?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Sarah had been dead three years when Abraham called his trusted serv-
ant, probably Eliezer of Damascus, to whom he had thought to bequeath
his estate
(Gen. 15:2). Though Abraham would live another 35 years, he
was an old man at this time. Isaac had reached the age of 40 and needed
a wife to carry on the covenant line. A messenger had earlier reported to
Abraham that Nahor, his brother, and his wife, Milcah, had been blessed
with eight sons (Gen. 22:20–24). Now Abraham instructed his servant to
fetch a wife for Isaac from among those relatives.
Of course, there was always the outside chance that the girl would
be unwilling to accompany him back to a strange land, and Eliezer
needed clear instruction how to proceed if that turned out to be the
case. If so, he would be released from the oath. Under no circum-
stances was Isaac to leave the land that God had covenanted to them.
Abraham picked his agent well; the servant was determined to do
God’s will in such an important matter.
It’s one thing to sa
y
,
I w
ant to lea
v
e ev
erything in God’
s hands
regarding important matters;
it’s another to actually do this.
Next time you face an important decision, what practical steps
can you take in or
der to place yourself in a position where you
can discern God’s will and be surrendered enough to accept it?
24
MONDAY
July 16
Jacob and Esau
Rebekah, unlike Sarah, had no rival wives or concubines to contend
with, and no stepchildren to compete with. Theirs should have been a
happy home. Yet, even in this “ideal” situation, strife arose.
Read
the story of Esau and Jacob in Genesis 25:19–34. In what ways
were the parents to blame for the strife that arose among the
brothers?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
At
the birth of those boys, the Lord gave Rebekah a message about
their future. What was that message, and what do we see in the
story about the character of these boys that helps explain their
fate?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
What we see in this story isn’t God’s
determining the future but sim-
ply predicting it. It was the choices of the boys that led to their fate,
not God’s predestination of that fate for them.
The sale of the birthright confirms that Esau is disinterested in spir-
itual matters; his actions certainly revealed him unfit to be the spir-
itual leader of the clan.
Jacob, on the other hand, is farsighted. He desires the spiritual lead-
ership, is cunning enough to trick his brother out of it, and even gets
the transaction sealed by an oath. Esau eats and goes away, not the
least bothered about what he has given up.
“Because of his indifference to the divine blessings and require-
ments, Esau is called in Scripture ‘a profane person. . . . He represents
those who lightly value the redemption purchased for them by Christ,
and are ready to sacrifice their heirship to heaven for the perishable
things of earth. Multitudes live for the present, with no thought or care
for the future. Like Esau they cry, ‘Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow
we die. 1 Corinthians 15:32.”—Ellen G. White,
Patriarchs and
Prophets, pp. 181, 182.
How seriously do you take the redemption you have in Christ?
How can you be careful not to sell it for a bowl of porridge? Why
is that easier to do than one might think?
25
TUESDAY
July 17
The Birthright—Content and Context
of the Contest
The events in Genesis 26 surely took place before those in chapter 25.
Isaac could not have hoped to pass Rebekah off as his sister if they had
twins. The repetitions of the Abrahamic covenant to Isaac clarify what
exactly Jacob bargained with Esau for. These promises are what Jacob
hoped to inherit. This was a spiritual heritage with a serious responsi-
bility. This is the privilege that Esau despised and Jacob coveted.
What
promises in the Abrahamic covenant were confirmed to Isaac?
Gen. 26:4.
These promises were not easy to believe. Isaac and Rebekah had no
children yet—but these children would become as numerous as the
stars? They were nomads wandering from country to country—but
God would give them “all these lands”? (Gen. 26:4, NKJV).
Note
the similarities in the experience of Isaac and Rebekah and
Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 20, 21, and 26.
Name of the place (20:1, 26:1) ______________________________
Name of the king (20:2, 26:1) ______________________________
Lying about (20:2, 26:7) ___________________________________
Explanation for lie (20:11, 26:9) ____________________________
Remonstrance because of the lie (20:9, 26:10) _________________
The Lord has just appeared to Isaac and given to him a wonderful
promise. Isaac now knows not only the reality of God but His prom-
ises. He should have been a man of faith, trusting in God’s ability to
fulfill those promises. (After all, when was the last time God
“appeared” to any of us and spoke to us?) Yet, soon afterward we see
Isaac resorting to lies.
Maybe because of the promise, that he would have a great seed,
Isaac lied to protect himself from death. What lesson can we
learn from this story about how easy it is to show lack of trust
in God?
26
WEDNESDAY
July 18
Stealing the Blessing
Read
Genesis 27 and then answer the following questions:
1. Why did Jacob show some hesitancy in perpetrating this fraud
on his father? What does that reason say about his character?
2. What were the material advantages that came with the blessing?
How might that have explained each one’s desire for it?
3. What did Isaac do that showed he had his suspicions? What rea-
sons might he have had for them?
4. What reasons did Rebekah have for instigating this deception?
In the opening verses of Genesis 27 Isaac has two thoughts: (1) he
is getting old and needs to pass on his blessing, and (2) his mouth is
watering for some tasty food. Here we encounter a play on words.
While Esau sold his bekorah (birthright) for a bowl of lentils, Isaac
will give his berakah (blessing) in exchange for some venison.
Rebekah will try to get the berakah for her favorite son.
We could defend Rebekah. After all, she is fighting the unjust insti-
tution of the blessing by which one child gets everything and the other
nothing
(Gen. 27:37). This is especially unfair in the case of twins.
Maybe she thought she was carrying out the will of God, who had pre-
dicted the dominance of the younger. Maybe she knew, as Isaac must
have known, that Esau was unsuited for the birthright and the bless-
ings that came with it but that Jacob possessed those necessary qual-
ities.
In the end, everyone suffered because of the deception. What
lessons can we learn from this story about the consequences of
our actions? Take heed. Watch and pray before you act!
27
THURSDAY
July 19
Wives and the Covenant
When Esau was 40, he got married (Gen. 26:34, 35). The problem
was not just that Easu married two wives. Polygamy existed as early
as the time of Lamech (Gen. 4:23). Abraham had several wives, and
Jacob himself would end up in polygamy. The main problem was that
Esau’s wives were Hittites and probably not worshipers of Yahweh.
Bringing outside blood into the family was risky. But Abraham, too,
had brought in Hagar, an Egyptian, and thought to make her son his
heir. The worst problem, however, was that the Hittite daughters-in-
law of Isaac and Rebekah endangered the worship of Yahweh among
their descendants, possibly insisting on worshiping their own gods.
Since they were two, it may have been easier to get their way. This
threat is what must have caused grief to Isaac and Rebekah. Keeping
their sons’ marriages within the family would have served to protect
the Abrahamic covenant.
How
did Rebekah use this issue as an excuse to get Jacob out of angry
Esau’s reach?
Gen. 27:46–28:5.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Isaac readil
y agreed to the plan, and he himself charged Jacob,
instructing him to go quickly. The earlier blessing Jacob had stolen
from Esau said nothing about the covenant blessings. Now, as Jacob
prepared to leave, Isaac gave him the blessing he wanted all along.
What
were the blessings given to Jacob? Gen. 28:3, 4. How did these
differ from the blessings given to Esau?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Before Isaac gave Jacob the covenant blessings, he specifically
charged him not to take a wife from among the Canaanites but to get
one from among their own clan. It was afterward that he gave him the
promised blessings. Could there have been a link between this admo-
nition and the b
lessings? If so, w
hat?
What promises of God are especially important to you? At the
same time, ask yourself, How can I make the kind of choices
that will allow these pr
omises to be fulfilled in my life?
28
FRIDAY
July 20
Further Study:
Ellen G. White, “A United Front, pp. 312–316, in
The Adventist Home.
“What a contrast between the course of Isaac and that pursued by
the youth of our time, even among professed Christians! Young peo-
ple too often feel that the bestowal of their affections is a matter in
which self alone should be consulted—a matter that neither God nor
their parents should in any wise control. Long before they have reached
manhood or womanhood, they think themselves competent to make
their own choice, without the aid of their parents. A few years of mar-
ried life are usually sufficient to show them their error, but often too
late to prevent its baleful results. For the same lack of wisdom and
self-control that dictated the hasty choice is permitted to aggravate the
evil, until the marriage relation becomes a galling yoke. Many have
thus wrecked their happiness in this life and their hope of the life to
come.”—Ellen G. White, The Adventist Home, p. 80.
Discussion Questions:
Think about all the strife and suffering that could have been
avoided had Rebekah and Isaac made wiser choices. What prin-
ciples did they violate, and what can we learn from their mistakes
that could help protect our homes from unneeded suffering?
There’s a certain irony in the attitudes and actions of Rebekah.
She was upset that Esau had married foreign women, because
they could lead him away from the true God. And yet she was the
one who pushed Jacob into this horrible deception. What kind of
inconsistency do we see there? In what ways can we be in danger
of doing something similar?
See also Matt. 23:23.
Is there someone you know who is facing an important deci-
sion? If so, what can you as a class do to give that person the best
possible guidance? What can you do to help that person discern
the will of God in making that choice?
Summary:
Isaac and Rebekah could have avoided much trouble in
their home if they had followed principles of truth and honesty. God
had spoken, and they should have trusted Him and cooperated with
Him.
1
2
3
1
2
3
INSIDE
29
Faithful Friend
by HANS OLSON
Setsuko and Meiko have been friends for 15 years, ever since Setsuko,
a literature evangelist, knocked on Meiko’s door and offered her a sub-
scription to
Signs of the Times
®
. Meiko liked the magazine and subscribed.
She also bought some books. Meiko’s daughter began attending a branch
Sabbath School program.
When Meiko’s family moved to be near her husband’s parents, Setsuko
stayed in touch with her. Meiko continued to read the magazines and
books.
As the wife of the eldest son in Japanese culture, Meiko felt compelled
to respect her mother-in-law’s Shinto religion. Meiko accompanied her
mother-in-law to worship in the shrines, but Meiko wanted to find mean-
ing in her own life. As Meiko searched, Setsuko remained a faithful friend.
Meiko was not free to pursue Christianity at this time, but she continued
reading
Signs of the Times
®
and sought out other books to help her resolve
the conflicts in her life and bring her peace. In time she found the God she
was seeking.
Eventually Meiko’s family returned to Yokohama, and Meiko and Setsuko
reconnected in person. Setsuko invited Meiko to attend meetings at her
church. Far from her mother-in-law, Meiko finally felt she could attend a
Christian church. As Meiko sat in the church, she whispered to her friend,
At last I am home. For 15 years Meiko had struggled to find meaning,
and at last she had found what she was searching for.
Meiko praised God that her husband did not resist her desire to be a
Christian. But now Meiko faced a new problem: As a faithful daughter-in-
law, she could not keep her faith in God a secret from her mother-in-law.
But how could she tell her without hurting her? Meiko gently explained
her new religious experience to her mother-in-law, who listened carefully.
Meiko apologized for letting her mother-in-law down. She worried that
her in-laws would disown her following her revelation of faith in Christ.
But her mother-in-law wished Meiko well. Their relationship has become
closer than it ever had been. They respect each other’s religion.
When Meiko was baptized, she asked her friend Setsuko to be her spir-
itual guardian.
Your mission offerings help bring the hope of Jesus to hearts chained by
culture and superstition. Thank you.
SETSUKO IWAI
and
SEINO (MEIK
O
) KA
TSUMA
T
A
live in
Y
okohama, w
her
e the
y continue to
share their love for God with others. Hans Olson is managing editor of
Mission.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
S
tor
L ESSON
30
4
*July 21–July 27
Jacob and Rachel:
Labor
of Love
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
Gen. 29:1–31:16.
Memory Text:
“Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also
loved the church, and gave himself for it”
(Ephesians 5:25).
A
gainst the backdrop of an Old Testament culture in which mar-
riages were arranged by the parents, Jacob and Rachel stand
out as an example of a love marriage. Esau also had selected
his own wives, but he is not recorded as “loving” them. In a case simi-
lar to Jacob’s, Moses married the daughter of one with whom he took
refuge, but again, he is not stated to have fallen in love with her. Thus,
Jacob’s love for Rachel must have been extraordinary to warrant
repeated mention. His love has acquired legendary status probably for
good reason.
Yet, the marriage of Jacob and Rachel does not end with the “hap-
pily ever after” style. When he left Padanaram 20 years after he got
there, Jacob had acquired great wealth in terms of flocks and herds.
But their relationship underwent many trials and troubles. Though
conditions were not always ideal, their love never suffered. Their
strong love, it seems, enabled them to endure all difficulties. Rachel’s
early death did not diminish Jacob’s love for her children but rather
heightened it.
The Week at a Glance:
Of all the lessons we can learn from
this couple, perhaps the most important one is that our actions and
mistakes have consequences that go far beyond ourselves.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, July 28.
31
SUNDAY
July 22
Marrying Within the Faith
We left off with Isaac and Rebekah sending off Jacob, to keep him
from marrying outside the faith and to get him away from his angry
brother. Esau had sworn that as soon as Isaac was dead, he would kill
Jacob for stealing his blessing
(Gen. 27:41). We also left off noting
that Isaac began the covenant blessing by telling Jacob not to marry
from the Canaanites but to take a wife from his own clan.
When
you consider the covenant blessing (see Gen. 28:1–4), why was
the choice of the right wife important for the blessing to be ful-
filled?
Marrying within the faith is so important to the patriarchs that the
problem of marrying within the family is overlooked. Abraham is mar-
ried to his half sister, Isaac to his cousin, and now Jacob is instructed
by Isaac to seek a wife from among the daughters of Laban—his own
cousins. Abraham had strictly instructed his trusted servant not to get
a wife for Isaac from among the Canaanites
(Gen. 24:3). Esau also
realized how offensive his pagan wives were to Isaac, so he went and
married yet another wife—the daughter of his uncle Ishmael.
What
evidence can we find from the wickedness that helped bring the
Flood that could help us understand why marrying “out of the
faith” was deemed so bad? See Gen. 6:1–5.
Some believe that the wickedness was in angels’ marrying humans.
But Jesus said that angels do not marry
(Mark 12:25). Others see the
wickedness here as polygamy as practiced by dynastic rulers among
the descendants of Cain. Lamech is an example of one
(Gen. 4:19).
One would wonder why polygamy would be condemned so indirectly.
The interpretation easiest to understand is that godly descendants,
“the sons of God,” were intermarrying with the “daughters of men,
those who weren’t the Lord’s followers, and this was terrible in God’s
sight.
Second Corinthians 6:14 gi
v
es a principle that should be heeded
not only in marriage but in other activities, as well. Inevitably,
however, most of us are, at one time or another, “yoked” with
unbelievers. What principles should we keep in mind when
faced with these situations?
32
MONDAY
July 23
Working and Waiting
Read
Genesis 29:1–15. From what we can tell in the text, how pure
were Laban’s motives toward Jacob, at least at first?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Whatever his motives were to start, eventually Laban saw in Jacob
a bargain. He’d eventually have to marry his daughters off anyway;
why not get what he could for a dowry?
Dowry in the Old Testament takes several forms. It appears that the
bride’s father gave a maidservant to his daughter at the time of marriage.
Thus Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel acquired maidservants (Gen.
16:1; 24:61; 29:24, 29). However, the groom, too, was expected to give
gifts to the bride’s family. Abraham’s servant gave gold and silver jewelry
and expensive clothes to Rebekah and other costly gifts to her mother
and brother Laban. In contrast, Jacob had arrived penniless and had noth-
ing to offer except labor, and he offered to work seven years for Rachel.
Read
Genesis 29:15–30. What was behind such treachery? What does
that tell us about the power of greed to override honesty and
decency?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
How
did Laban justify his act? (Gen. 29:26). Why was that such a
lame excuse?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
As the local man, Laban would have the support of the town’s peo-
ple. Jacob was the refugee. As the employer, Laban had Jacob at his
mercy. At the end of seven years he had paid nothing yet. Most of all,
Jacob’s love for Rachel held him captive to Laban. He thus had no
option but to submit meekly to the treachery. We see only a mild
protest from the helpless y
oung man. He had to w
ork another seven
years for Rachel, but he was eventually allowed to marry her.
Look again at Laban’s excuse. In what ways do we need to be care-
ful of doing the same thing; that is,
using the excuse of customs or
traditions (or an
ything,
r
eall
y) in or
der to justify unjust acts?
33
TUESDAY
July 24
Family Strife
Read
Genesis 29:28–30:24 and then answer these questions:
1. In what ways was this family making the same marital mistakes
as their ancestors?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. In what ways were the strife and envy between the women mani-
fested?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. How did Jacob’s actions make matters worse?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
The competition between the two sisters led to them giving their
maidservants to Jacob to bear sons for them. When Rachel’s maid-
servant bore her second son, Rachel declared, “ ‘I have had a great
struggle with my sister, and I have won’ (Gen. 30:8, NIV). Rachel
had said to Jacob, “ ‘Give me children, or I’ll die’ (vs. 1, NIV). These
words proved ironic, as Rachel finally died in childbirth (Gen. 35:16–
18). When she finally bore a son, she named him Joseph, meaning
“may he add, saying, “ ‘May the Lord add to me another son’ (Gen.
30:24, NIV). Tragically, the birth of her second son killed her.
Notice the words of Rachel to Jacob in Genesis 30:1 and the des-
peration that they reveal. When was the last time you were in a
desperate situation that only God could solve? How did you
react? What lessons did you learn that could help you if some-
thing similar were to happen again?
______________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
34
WEDNESDAY
July 25
Jacob’s Leaving
Review
what we’ve read so far about this family. What were the sins
and mistakes that each person made? What does this tell us about
how belief alone, even in the true God, isn’t enough to change our
lives the way that God would have them changed?
See 2 Cor. 7:1.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Though not graphic, this story of Laban and Jacob and his wives is
sordid enough. Each character is guilty in his or her own way. Even
Jacob, the patriarch, a follower of the true God, is hardly much of a rep-
resentative of that God. This is just another biblical account of how far
humans have fallen and how desperately in need of grace we all are.
Based
on Genesis 30:25–31:16, how would you answer the following
questions?
1. What caused Laban’s attitude toward Jacob to change? What
lesson is there for us?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What are some of the good characteristics found in Jacob?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. What was Laban’s daughters’ attitude toward their father? Was
it justified?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Even amid all this deceit,
trick
ery
,
passion,
jealousy, favoritism,
and on and on, the Lord was there, working out His plan despite
human foibles. At the same time, how much better this story
could have been had people loved God first and one another as
themselves. As y
ou g
o a
bout y
our daily business, in what ways
can you consciously seek to live as God would have you live, thus
avoiding much needless pain?
35
THURSDAY
July 26
Playing Favorites
Read
Genesis 29:30. What recipe for family disaster is found in this
verse?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
No question, God was working in the life of Jacob, even despite his
faults. Yet, those faults weren’t minor; they brought pain and suffering
not only upon himself but upon his loved ones. When will we learn to
think before we act, to contemplate the possible results of the choices
we make? How many of us would love to turn back the clock and do
things differently? Unfortunately, we can’t. All we can do is try not to
make the same mistakes in the future.
Of all the mistakes Jacob made, one of the worst was the favoritism
he showed toward Rachel. Sure, Leah wasn’t the one he wanted, but
he was still married to her, and he didn’t seem to mind bearing all
these children with her either.
Read
Genesis 33:1–3. What example of favoritism toward Rachel did
he show there?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Even after Rachel died, Jacob continued to show his favoritism to
the children he bore with her. Joseph was the recipient of the coat of
many colors (Gen. 37:3), and Benjamin was the one held back by the
father as the others went to buy grain from Egypt (Gen. 42:4), even
though he already had ten other sons (Gen. 46:21).
There’s no doubt that this blatant favoritism brought a great deal of
suffering to the family. If only Jacob had lived according to the prin-
ciples of the God he followed, how much better his life would have
been. It’s a lesson that applies to all of us, as well. How careful we
need to be in the relationships we form.
Of course, most of us don’
t have to deal with the complications
arising from polygamous marriages, but we all need to be care-
ful in how we treat others. No doubt Leah and eventually the
children she bore were all pained by Jacob’s actions. What can
you do to be mor
e car
eful in dealing with the feelings of others
who are dependent upon your love and affection?
36
FRIDAY
July 27
Further Study:
“Rachel,” pp. 924, 925, in the Seventh-day
Adventist Bible Dictionary;
also read Ellen G. White, “Jacob’s Flight
and Exile,” pp. 183–194, in Patriarchs and Prophets.
“Preach in your lives the practical godliness of the faith that you
believe. Let it be seen that the truth never degrades the receiver, mak-
ing him rough and coarse, or fretful and impatient. Make apparent to
all your patience, your kindness, your long-suffering, gentleness,
compassion, and true goodness; for these graces are the expression of
the character of the God whom you serve.”—Ellen G. White,
Evangelism, p. 400.
Discussion Questions:
Talk about the question of being unequally yoked with unbe-
lievers. How are we as Christians to act when we face this situa-
tion? What can we learn from one another’s experiences?
What advice would you give to someone who was thinking
about marrying outside the faith?
We can learn a lot from the story this week about how not to
act. What principles can we learn from what we’ve read that can
help us better avoid the kind of mistakes that this family made?
Greed is a powerful passion within the human heart. What
ways can we protect ourselves from being swept up by it?
If a couple in your class has been married a long time, have
them explain what the keys are to a happy marriage. What are
the principles? What must couples never do? What should they
always do? How can we apply those principles (when applicable)
to other areas of our lives?
Summary:
Yes, they were a dysfunctional family by all accounts.
Their actions all came with bad consequences, too. How important
that we learn from their mistakes and not follow the principles of
greed and selfishness and jealousy that brought so much heartache.
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
5
INSIDE
37
Watching God Work: Part 1
The break-up of communism in Eastern Europe left many people des-
perate to earn enough money to live. Maria, like many others, sought work
in another country. Though she has a teaching degree, she works for a fam-
ily in the Middle East, cleaning, cooking, and caring for a child. Although
such workers are paid little by the country’s standards, it is good money
for Maria.
Maria and other Adventist women have found that their new jobs,
though menial and seldom praised, afford them a rare opportunity to share
their faith. “We—my Adventist sisters and I—are amazed when we think
of how God is leading us,” she says. “We enter into the homes of wealthy
and influential people in this country, care for their homes and children.
And even though we do not speak the language of our hosts well, by our
lives we can influence people who would never open their door and allow
us to share our faith and tell them of God’s love.
“People in this country do not want to know about Christians or their
God, so we cannot preach to them. But they see God in our lives, and God
perfor
ms miracles and opens their hearts to our message. Somehow they
sense that we are not like other Christians. We don’t drink or smoke, and
we keep the Sabbath. Many times they tell us, “You are like Muslims; you
are very close to us.
In the family for which Maria works, the extended family often gathers
for dinner. After they eat, they sit and talk politics and have a drink. One
evening as the men talked, Maria’s boss asked her to serve them some
drinks. Maria gently told her boss that she could not serve the drinks.
Suddenly the room became quiet, and 25 faces looked at her. Her boss was
surprised by her refusal, and she, too, was embarrassed.
Then Maria felt a power in herself and told her boss, “I do not serve
alcohol because I do not drink alcohol. It is forbidden by Allah. And the
things I do not take part in, I do not offer to others.” Her employer nod-
ded. She left the room, wondering whether she would be reprimanded or,
worse, fired.
(Continued next week)
MARIA
lives and shares her faith in the Middle East.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
S
tor
L ESSON
38
5
*July 28–August 3
Moses and Zipporah:
Relating With
Relations
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read
for This W
eek’
s Study:
Exodus 2–4, 18:1–27, Num.
12:1–4.
Memory Text:
“By faith Moses, when he was come to years, re-
fused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather
to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleas-
ures of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:24, 25).
M
oses is one of the best known of all Old Testament charac-
ters; Zipporah, his wife, is one of the lesser known. Being a
foreigner and from a despised nation, she obviously
remained as much in the background as possible. However, as we’ll
soon see, she turned out to be a faithful wife who remained with
Moses during the trials of the Exodus. At the same time, his marriage
to her brought Jethro into the family of Moses, and this turned out to
be a great blessing, not just to Moses but to the children of Israel as a
whole. Though we can learn many lessons from their story, perhaps
the most important one is this: The right family relations can be won-
derful; the wrong ones, unfortunately, can bring terrible results.
The Week at a Glance:
When Zippor
ah married Moses, she
had no idea what she was getting into.Yet, she and her family were
a great help to Moses and aided him in his di
vine mission. This
week we’ll see just what blessings a good wife and good in-laws
can bring.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 4.
39
SUNDAY
July 29
Chivalry at the Well
Like Jacob centuries earlier, Moses, after hiking a few hundred
miles, arrived at a settlement in the wilderness, which revolved around
a well. Both had run for their lives—Jacob from his brother Esau and
Moses from Pharaoh. What a difference, though, in the reasons for
their flight!
Why
did Moses flee? Exod. 2:11–15. What does this incident tell us about
his character? What does this tell us about his allegiance to his
own people, despite his great privileges in the house of another
nation?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Read
Exodus 2:15–17 (see also Acts 7:23–29). From what we know about
the character of Moses, why were his actions at the well not
surprising?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Sitting by the well, Moses observed that rough shepherds had not
merely chased away the seven daughters of Jethro but had waited till
the daughters had drawn water for their flock and then drove them
away so that they could water their own sheep with that water
(Exod.
2:17). Moses, apparently, could not bear to see injustice. This is what
had gotten him into trouble in Egypt.
According to Exodus 2:19, the daughters described Moses to their
father as an “Egyptian, probably on the basis of his dress, which
showed the degree that the culture had influenced Moses. Moses was
not only alone but clearly a foreigner. Though the text doesn’t say how,
he was obviously able to wield enough power and authority to drive
the shepherds away.
Reuel, another name for Jethro
(see Exod. 2:18, 3:1), chides the
girls for not inviting their hero in for supper. Zipporah, probably the
eldest, is promised to Moses in marriage, and in return Moses takes
charge of his father-in-law’s flock, just as Jacob did for Laban cen-
turies earlier (Exod. 3:1).
It was one of Moses’ own people who endangered his life. What
does this tell us about how careful we need to be with those who
are closest to us, lest we inadvertently hurt them?
40
MONDAY
July 30
Moses and His Father-in-Law
Moses’ father-in-law is referred to by at least two names—Reuel
(Exod. 2:18) and Jethro (Exod. 3:1). However, Reuel means “friend of
God” and could be a title that he held as a priest. There are several
examples of Old Testament characters having more than one name
(Esau/Edom, Jacob/Israel).
Jethro’s immediate response to the report of Moses’ chivalry was to
chide his daughters for leaving behind such a man. He bade them
invite him for a meal. Moses, on his part, was happy to stay with such
a man; indeed, he spent 40 peaceful years in his home.
Read
carefully Moses’ words to his father-in-law about his returning
to Egypt (Exod. 4:18). What reasons does he give; what reasons
does he not give? Was he being dishonest?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Jethro doesn’t appear in the Bible again until Exodus 18:1–12.
Imagine the surprise he must have had. His son-in-law leaves on what
was supposed to be a family visit and comes back the leader of sev-
eral million people! He was obviously impressed by what happened
and gave praise and sacrifice to the Lord (vss. 10–12). How much
Jethro knew about the Lord is not known; however impressed, he
apparently still believed in the existence of other gods (vs. 11).
Read
over Exodus 18. What evidence do we find here of Moses’
great respect for his father-in-law, despite whatever theological
weaknesses the man had? What evidence of the great wisdom of
Jethro do we see here?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
How interesting that it was his father-in-law, someone not even of
Moses’ own blood, someone who was still (apparently) a polytheist,
who gave Moses such good advice in the governing of these people.
Moses obviously believed that it must have been God’s will, otherwise
he wouldn’t have consented.
How easy it could have been for Moses to brush off the advice of
this “pagan.” Instead, he listened. What’s the lesson? How open
are you to good advice, even when it comes from unexpected
sources?
41
TUESDAY
July 31
Zipporah and Her Husband’s Religion
Read
Exodus 4:19–26. What is happening here? Why did Zipporah
do what she did?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Several peoples of the ancient Near East practiced circumcision. So
it was not a new custom that God invented for His people. He just gave
it new meaning. For many it was a sign of marriage, performed when
a man was wedded, but God used it as a sign of His special link with
His chosen people. God instructed Abraham to circumcise every male
in his household on the eighth day (Gen. 17:9–14). Abraham was 99
when this was carried out.
The context sheds light on the severity of Moses’ neglect to cir-
cumcise his son. God tells Moses to demand that Pharaoh release
Israel, “ ‘my firstborn son’ (Exod. 4:22, NIV). As a consequence of
not releasing His “firstborn son,” Israel, God threatens to kill
Pharaoh’s firstborn son (vs. 23). In the next verse (vs. 24) we are
informed that God intended to kill Moses for not circumcising his son,
most likely his firstborn
(Exod. 2:22).
By
answering the following questions, attempt to see the matter from
God’s point of view:
(1) Did Moses know that Israelite male children were to be cir-
cumcised? (2) Did Moses know about the significance of circum-
cision? (3) How might the Israelites respond if they knew that
Moses had not circumcised his son? (4) How would God feel about
His messenger living in open disobedience to His command?
Moses was on the threshold of a mission that is a matter of life and
death for the Egyptians, as well as for the Israelites. His own life
might be sought by the Egyptians, or by the Israelites if their rescue
was frustrated. Moses’ personal safety lay completely in the hands of
God. No detail of God’s instruction for personal life must be over-
looked.
We are not told why Zipporah called Moses a “ ‘bridegroom of
blood’
(Exod. 4:25, NIV). Most likely circumcision was to Zipporah
a “bloody” ritual. The custom was probably repulsive to her. It could
be that she had objected to the circumcision of her son and therefore
felt responsibility for what was happening. Nevertheless, sensing
God’s displeasure, she took it upon herself to do what Moses, God’s
man, should have done himself.
42
WEDNESDAY
August 1
Zipporah With Miriam and Aaron
Read Numbers 12:1–3. There is a suggestion that this Cushite wife
is not Zipporah, because Zipporah was a Midianite; instead, the
woman here was a new wife that Moses might have taken after the
possible death of Zipporah. There is no biblical evidence for a second
marriage of Moses, which would have been a big event had there been
one. Besides, Zipporah the Midianite might be referred to as a Cushite
(Hab. 3:7). Cushan is used as a parallel term for Midian and is per-
haps even an older poetical term for Midian.
Read
Exodus 2:1–9; Exodus 15:20, 21; Micah 6:4. What can we learn
about the character, gifts, and privileges of Miriam from these
texts? See also Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 382.
What
horrible traits do we see revealed in both Miriam and Aaron in
Numbers 12:1?
Human prejudice remains one of the enduring and damnable results
of the Fall. Even people as gifted and honored and blessed as Miriam
and Aaron weren’t immune. What made matters worse here was that
Zipporah had proved herself loyal and faithful to Israel through all the
trials of the Israelite nation. According to Exodus 4:20, she and their
children went with Moses back to Egypt. She saved Moses’ life
(vs. 26).
Who knows what would have happened to Israel had Moses died. Even
worse was that this kind of prejudice should come from leaders of peo-
ple who themselves were the objects of scorn from another nation.
What
was the real issue in the attack on Moses’ wife? Num. 12:2.
Miriam and Aaron felt their authority decline. They connected this
trend to the wife of Moses. It is her father who influenced Moses to
appoint scores of leaders who reported to Moses when they had diffi-
cult cases. The attack on Zipporah may not have been an innocent pre-
text to discredit Moses. Aaron and Miriam may never have accepted
their brother’s wife, and after seeing her f
amily in the wilderness, they
may have despised her even more.
Why is racial or ethnic prejudice repugnant in those who pro-
fess to follow Christ? What concrete steps can you take to help
purge your heart of this sinful disease?
43
THURSDAY
August 2
Moses and His Brother-in-Law
It’s been said that when you get married, you don’t marry just the
spouse; you get his or her family, as well. Moses was no exception either.
Read
Numbers 10:29, 30. What’s going on here? Why did Moses
make this offer?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
According to Moses, if Hobab agreed to come, he and his family
would partake of God’s blessings promised for Israel. At the same time,
Hobab’s presence would provide family for Zipporah, Moses’ wife.
What
symbolism is found in this idea, that of Gentiles partaking of the
blessings of Israel? Isa. 56:1–7, Rom. 11:17–19.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
From the stories of Moses it was clear that God had His hand over the
Israelites. The future held great promise. But it was a tough life being
on the move. While Moses, their leader, was Hobab’s brother-in-law, it
was not an easy decision for Hobab to leave his people and cast his lot
with another. Maybe that’s why Hobab, at least at this point, said No.
What
does Moses say in Numbers 10:31, 32 that shows some ulterior
motives for the invitation of Hobab?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Moses’ actions are not totally understandable in light of the pillar of
the cloud. On the day the tabernacle was completed and erected, the
cloud settled over it (see Numbers 9). The cloud provided the signal
when to stop moving and when to get going again. Certainly Hobab
couldn’t compete with the cloud in kno
wing the best spots to camp,
could he? Or maybe Hobab’s knowledge of the area was simply meant
to complement the Lord’s leading; that is, to show them certain things
about the area that might be helpful to them as they followed the cloud.
What are some decisions you need to make soon? As you plan,
ask yourself,
What ar
e m
y motives?
After thinking a
bout those
motives, might you need to change your plans? Is doing the
right thing for the wrong reason still doing the “right” thing?
44
FRIDAY
August 3
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “The Aged Parents,” pp.
360–364, in The Adventist Home.
“Though not an Israelite, Zipporah was a worshiper of the true God.
She was of a timid, retiring disposition, gentle and affectionate, and
greatly distressed at the sight of suffering; and it was for this reason
that Moses, when on the way to Egypt, had consented to her return to
Midian. He desired to spare her the pain of witnessing the judgments
that were to fall on the Egyptians.
“When Zipporah rejoined her husband in the wilderness, she saw
that his burdens were wearing away his strength, and she made known
her fears to Jethro, who suggested measures for his relief. Here was
the chief reason for Miriam’s antipathy to Zipporah. Smarting under
the supposed neglect shown to herself and Aaron, she regarded the
wife of Moses as the cause, concluding that her influence had pre-
vented him from taking them into his counsels as formerly.”—Ellen
G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 383, 384.
Discussion Questions:
What kind of prejudices are prevalent in your own society?
Ethnic, religious, national, gender, economic? What have been the
baneful results? How can we learn to recognize prejudice in our-
selves? Most important, what can we do to help purge this from
society, the church, and ourselves? As a class, what can you do to
help alleviate the suffering of others brought about by prejudice?
As we saw earlier, the daughters of Jethro initially believed
that Moses was an Egyptian. This shows the power of culture
over our lives.What culture are you living in? How does it impact
your faith? As a class, talk about the things in your culture that
jive well with your faith and the things that are in conflict with
it. Identify together some of the problem areas and then talk
about whatever things you can do to help yourselves and other
church members work through these challenges.
Summary:
When Zipporah married Moses, she had no idea what was
coming. Yet, from the little said about her, we can see that she and her
family were a blessing to Moses and a great help in his divine mission.
1
2
3
1
2
INSIDE
45
Watching God Work: Part 2
Maria left the room wondering whether her refusal to serve the men
alcohol would mean the end of her employment. She prayed and left the
results to God.
A little while later her boss’s brother called her back into the room
where the family was gathered. “I thought you were a religious fanatic,
he said. “But I went on the Internet and found that Seventh-day Adventist
Christians are a well-known group. The Web site explains why you keep
Sabbath instead of Sunday, and why you do not drink or smoke.” He
smiled and said, “You made us feel ashamed because we are Muslims, and
we should follow these principles, but we don’t. You are so different from
other Christians we have met. I want to learn more about your religion.
Maria smiled. God had blessed her efforts to share her faith and brought
glory to His name, even though she could not explain her reasons in their
language.
“God has allowed us Adventist Christians to be in this country for such
a time as this,” Maria says. “One day it may not be possible to witness to
these impor
tant people, but what we share with them now will stay with
them.” Hundreds of families in this country are learning about what
Adventists believe right in their own homes.
One day Maria’s boss brought her a piece of meat and asked her to cook
it for him. She realized it was pork and gently told him that it was unclean
and she would not touch it. He was surprised and asked her, “How do you
know that this meat is not good to eat?” Maria’s language was too limited
to explain what she knew, so she pulled a Bible from her bag and turned
to Leviticus 11 and asked the man to read the passage. As he read the
chapter, she explained that this book is part of the Torah, which Muslims
recognize as part of their holy writings. Her boss and his wife read it
together and found other things they should observe. They talked together,
and she later heard him say, “These Adventists are more Muslims than we
are.
Maria knows that she has more than a job; she has a mission to share
God’s love and His promises with people she meets, people who say they
believe but know nothing about their beliefs. “Every action, every step we
take, shows in whom we believe,” she explains. “Every day is a testimony
of God’s love.
Our mission offerings help supply materials that make it possible to
share God’s love with all people.
MARIA
lives and shar
es her faith in a lar
g
e city in the Middle East.
S
tor
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
L ESSON
46
6
*August 4–10
Samson and His Women:
The Folly
of Passion
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
Judges 14–16.
Memory Text:
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh,
and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father,
but is of the world”
(1 John 2:16).
T
he story of Samson presents many challenges to the modern
reader. A lot of things just seem hard to understand, which only
goes to show that, as Paul said, we see through “a glass, darkly”
(1 Cor. 13:12). Only after Jesus returns will we get the full picture.
Nevertheless, even through a “glass darkly” there’s enough there for
us to learn a few good lessons from the rather sordid story of Samson
and his wife and Delilah.
Delilah was never the wife of Samson, but there are many similar-
ities in the experience Samson had with the woman he had married
earlier and with Delilah, the woman he later fell in love with. (1) Both
were Philistines. (2) Both were approached successfully by the
Philistine elders to snare Samson. (3) The attempts of both were re-
sisted by Samson initially, but in the end he yielded to both. Though
he did not marry Delilah, it is her name, rather than that of his name-
less wife, that has become associated with Samson.
The Week at a Glance:
Samson was a man given great
gifts and a calling from the Lord. He was also a man of great pas-
sions. It’s a sad story of how these conflicted.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 11.
47
SUNDAY
August 5
The Call of Samson
Read
Judges 13. What evidence did Manoah and his wife have of the
special calling given them? What conditions came with that calling?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Judges 13 makes it very clear that Samson was to have a great role
in Israel, that God planned to use this man to do a special work, to
begin to “deliver” Israel from the Philistines (Judg. 13:5). The Hebrew
word for “deliver” comes from a root word, ysha, from which the
name “Jesus” and the Hebrew word for “Savior,Moshiah, arises.
Samson obviously had a great calling. Of course, being called of
God doesn’t make the one called infallible, or free of sin.
Read
Judges 13:24, 25. What do these texts tell us about Samson?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Read
Judges 14:1–3 and 16:1. What do these texts tell us about
Samson?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Whatever his great calling, Samson showed some dangerous char-
acter weaknesses. Samson’s emotions were guided purely by physical
appearances. The first time he said to his parents, “ ‘I have seen a
Philistine woman in Timnah; now get her for me as my wife’ (Judg.
14:1, 2, NIV). Later he saw a prostitute in Gaza and went to spend the
night with her
(Judg. 16:1). At a time when he should have been con-
centrating on the special mission, at a time when he should have been
true to God, he let his passions get control over him, and he then
linked himself in an intimate way with the enemies of Israel. How
ironic! He’s called to “deliver” Israel from the Philistines, and the next
thing we know, he’s marrying one.
What has God
“called” y
ou to do? What weaknesses of character
are standing in your way of fulfilling that calling? What prom-
ises can you claim fr
om the Bib
le for the victories that will
enable you to do whatever God has called you to do?
48
MONDAY
August 6
Samson’s Wedding Day
Read
Judges 14. What mistakes are we seeing Samson make?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Samson, apparently, frequented the Philistine towns west of his
home. He also had no second thoughts, it seems, about forming
alliances with the women who caught his fancy there. The Israelites
looked down on the Philistines and used the word
uncircumcised as
synonymous with heathen (1 Sam. 14:6), even though the Philistines
were their rulers at the time (Judg. 14:4). The alliances of Samson
with non-Israelite women no doubt caused his parents a lot of con-
cern, especially considering the special circumstances of his birth and
calling (vss. 3, 4).
Also, from the time before the Flood, godly men had been attracted
by beautiful ungodly women and lapsed into wickedness (Gen. 6:1–5).
Solomon, too, married many foreign wives who worshiped other gods.
They were from nations specifically banned by God
(1 Kings 11:1, 2).
These alliances were not just political: Solomon is recorded as
‘[holding] fast to them in love’ (vs. 2, NIV). While these wives
turned his heart to other gods, Solomon still worshiped Yahweh,
though not wholeheartedly
(1 Kings 11:4–6).
What
do the actions of the Philistines say about the nature of those
people with whom Samson was uniting?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
What we see here is an example of just how dangerous the wrong
influences can be. Take someone with inherent weakness and place
that person—regardless of his or her divine calling—in a bad envi-
ronment, and the results can be very painful for everyone.
Look carefully and prayerfully at the influences around you, at
least the ones y
ou can contr
ol. Are they aiding you in your spir-
itual life, or are they working against it? What changes must you
make?
49
TUESDAY
August 7
Samson’s Revenge
This marriage seemed to go from bad to worse. Though Samson’s
wife “betrayed” him, it’s not hard to understand her fear. After all,
look at what her own kinsmen threatened to do to her and her family
(Judg. 14:15). Perhaps she should have told Samson what happened
and asked for his help and protection. Either way, this ill-advised mar-
riage didn’t last long. Samson’s anger and then abandonment of his
wife set the stage for the suffering that was to come.
What
reason is given for Samson’s return to his wife? Judg. 15:1.
What does this tell us about Samson?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
However much one would like to put the best spin on Samson’s
motives, the text seems to indicate that he was moved more by his lust
than by any desire for marital reconciliation. Whatever his motives, he
obviously wasn’t too pleased to discover that his wife had been mar-
ried off to another. Marriage seems about as corrupted back then as it
is today.
What
did Samson’s responses here tell us about his character? Judges
15.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Obviously, as shown by his actions after his wife was married to
another man, Samson had a violent temper. And maybe, too, he really
loved his wife and was angered that she was with another man.
Next, his killing of Philistines might have come also out of love for
his wife; or maybe he acted out of guilt, believing that his burning of
the field led to their murder. Whatever the reasons, a great deal of suf-
fering that could have been avoided occurred because Samson, who
should have known better, allowed his emotions and passions to rule.
Samson, angry at his wife, walks out right away. Imagine, how-
ever, if he would have shown her some mercy, grace, and for-
giveness. How different things might have been. Spend time at
the foot of the Cross, and from that understand the forgiveness
granted you through Jesus. Now, apply that same forgiveness to
the next person who angers you.
50
WEDNESDAY
August 8
The Sad Saga Continues
Judges 15 ended with Samson killing one thousand Philistines.
After his victory,” wrote Ellen White, “the Israelites made Samson
judge, and he ruled Israel for twenty years.”—
Patriarchs and
Prophets, p. 564. Here we see how Samson was to “begin” to deliver
Israel (Judg. 13:5).
Read
Judges 16:1–3. What other leaders in the Bible, despite having
great privileges, showed similar weaknesses? What was the cost?
His going to a prostitute was bad enough, but arrogantly going to
one in the middle of his enemies? “But not withstanding his sin, God’s
mercy had not forsaken him.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and
Prophets, p. 565. Samson escaped with his life. But would he learn his
lesson?
Read
Judges 16:4–6. What does this tell us about the kind of rela-
tionship he entered into again?
Unlike the other women he was with, including his wife (at least the
one mentioned in Scripture), it says that he loved Delilah. It doesn’t
seem, however, that the love was reciprocated.
Read
Judges 16:5–20. What does this story tell us about the power of
love to blind the eyes? What should have been apparent to Samson
from the beginning? Why didn’t he see it?
However foolish it was on his part to get involved with another
Philistine woman, he should have seen early on that this woman was
not out for his good. So strong, though, was the power of “love” and
passion that he persisted in keeping up the relationship, despite how
obvious it was that he should have fled right from the start.
How carefully do you guard your emotions and your passions?
How many “good” people ruin their lives and the lives of their
loved ones by not contr
olling the emotions?
What’s the best way
to protect yourself from this trap?
51
THURSDAY
August 9
Blinded by Love
Read
Judges 16:16–31. If you could derive a moral from this story,
one that would be relevant for us today, what would it be, and
why?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
God made men and women as He did and ordained them to be mar-
ried as a symbol of the unity and closeness He seeks with His church
(Rev. 21:2). The ideal relationship should bring each partner closer to
God, not drive one or the other away. In this case we can see so clearly
how a wrong relationship can separate someone from the Lord.
“What a change to him who had been the judge and champion of
Israel!—now weak, blind, imprisoned, degraded to the most menial
service! Little by little he had violated the conditions of his sacred
calling. God had borne long with him; but when he had so yielded
himself to the power of sin as to betray his secret, the Lord departed
from him. There was no virtue in his long hair merely, but it was a
token of his loyalty to God; and when the symbol was sacrificed in the
indulgence of passion, the blessings of which it was a token were also
forfeited.”—Ellen G. White,
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 566.
What
irony is found in the fact that Samson was blinded?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
In reading the story, we can see that Samson, regardless of the mis-
takes he had made, hadn’t lost his faith, however imperfect that faith
was. And God was still able to use Samson to accomplish His goals.
How much better, though, would it have been if Samson had been
faithful to the truth he knew. That God was able to accomplish His
purposes despite Samson’s failures doesn’t justify those failures. It
shows only that God works His will despite us; how much better if He
would work His will through us.
Samson is listed in Hebrews 11:32 as a faithful follower of the
Lord. What does it tell us about God’s grace? What hope can
you draw from this f
or y
ourself?
52
FRIDAY
August 10
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “True Love or Infatuation,
pp. 50–54, in The Adventist Home.
“The narrative creates an impression of almost incredible stupidity
on the part of Samson. At any time he could have put an end to
Delilah’s questioning by leaving her and returning to his home. But
Samson’s chief fault was not so much stupidity as sensual infatuation.
In the ruin and shame that this sensual weakness brought upon him,
and the way in which, step by step, it led him to forfeit God’s miracu-
lous gift of supernatural strength, lies the chief moral of the story.
The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 398.
“God’s providential care had been over Samson, that he might be
prepared to accomplish the work which he was called to do. At the
very outset of life he was surrounded with favorable conditions for
physical strength, intellectual vigor, and moral purity. But under the
influence of wicked associates he let go that hold upon God which is
man’s only safeguard, and he was swept away by the tide of evil. Those
who in the way of duty are brought into trial may be sure that God will
preserve them; but if men willfully place themselves under the power
of temptation, they will fall, sooner or later.”—Ellen G. White,
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 568.
Discussion Questions:
What can you do to help someone who seems to be allowing his
or her passions to overrule better spiritual judgment?
What can you do as a church to give folk who are being
tempted the help and encouragement of a strong, loving, and
understanding congregation? What changes need to occur in the
church so that those who need help can find people who care and
understand, as opposed to those who will condemn and judge
them?
As a class, take time together to pray for your church leaders,
those given great responsibilities, that they will be protected from
making the same kind of mistakes that Samson made.
Summary:
Samson’s story is of a strong man brought down by his
moral weaknesses. A strong relationship with his God would have
helped him control his relationship with women. His experience illus-
trates the text “Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14,
NKJV).
1
2
3
1
2
3
INSIDE
53
The Journey of Faith
by CARMELO GONZALEZ
As a member of another denomination, I loved attending church and
Sunday School. I taught the youth class, and my wife, Doris, taught the
children. We were a happy Christian family. I loved God, and I wanted to
serve Him. Then doubts began creeping into my mind. I wondered whether
my beliefs were really based on the Bible.
As I thought about what I believed, I found more and more things that
did not seem to follow what the Bible teaches. I asked my pastor about
some of these issues, but I was not satisfied with his answers.
A week later, my sister called to tell me she had attended a religious
seminar and was amazed by the preaching. I was interested and asked her
to send me a cassette tape of the seminar. When it arrived, I eagerly lis-
tened to it. The speaker talked about the statue in King Nebuchadnezzar’s
dream and what it meant. This speaker was good, but so much of what he
said seemed—well, strange. I jotted down the Bible texts so that I could
look them up later. I started looking up every Bible reference, and I could
hardly believe it. Every Bible text seemed to prove the man’s words true.
I called my sister and asked her to send me more tapes. Soon I received
a box containing 30 tapes. As I listened to them, I wondered,
Are these
tapes God’s answer to my prayer for truth? I knew that the speaker was a
Seventh-day Adventist, and I knew a little bit about Adventists. But I did
not know anyone who was an Adventist.
I called the telephone operator and asked for the number of an Adventist
church in my area. I called the church and left a message.
The next day a young pastor called and invited me to attend prayer meet-
ing on Wednesday night in a nearby church. I went, and immediately the
members made me feel welcome and comfortable.
The next day the pastor called again and told me of an Adventist church
closer to our home and suggested I visit there. This little group made me
feel very welcome. My family and I started attending the little Adventist
church together. We quickly made friends with members of the congrega-
tion and decided that God had led us to this church.
I have been a Christian for many years, but now I am the happiest
Christian, for I have found the truth of God in a loving new family.
CARMELO GONZALEZ
and his famil
y live in P
once
, Puerto Rico
.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
S
tor
L
eaving our canoe we wind through a simple village of small reed houses
on stilts. Children play in the dirt, pigs and goats nuzzle in piles of trash.
Approaching a humble reed building near the edge of town, we hear the
singing inside. Up the narrow ladder of sticks we climb, and into a roomful
of smiling faces. Half of them are under 12 years old, all of them are
Seventh-day Adventist brothers and sisters.
Witchcraft permeates this area of Benin in western Africa. Becoming an
Adventist Christian often means separation from families and community.
Loved ones and trusted friends urge believers in Christ to see the shaman
priest for “juju, magic to cure their problem. It is so difficult to face such
strong opposition and stand true to a God they cannot see.
But these beautiful believers continue on, continue to reach out as a light
into darkness. They are in desperate need of a new church building, not
made of sticks and reeds, but one built as strong as their faith. I see their
dedication, I see the challenges they face, and I want to help them. For
me, it’s personal.
[This quarter’s Thirteenth Sabbath
Offering will help provide 10
congregations in West-Central
Africa with churches or
evangelistic centers.]
56
L ESSON
7
*August 11–17
Boaz and Ruth: Firm
Foundations
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
Ruth 1–4
Memory Text:
‘Where you go I will go, and where you stay I
will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.
Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried,
(Ruth 1:16, 17,
NIV).
F
rom the Fall in Eden to the mark of the beast at the end of the
world, Scripture portrays a pretty grim picture of humanity. The
Word of God does not gloss over the human condition. From one
end of the Bible to the other, humanity is portrayed for what it is.
In the midst of all this sits the book of Ruth and the handful of char-
acters there, people of courage, conviction, faith, loyalty, and selfless-
ness. Where did these folk come from?
The refreshing relationship of Boaz and Ruth appears in stark con-
trast to the period of the judges in which the story is set, a time when
there was no king and everybody did what they wanted. Yet Ruth, a
Moabite, demonstrates supreme devotion to her bereaved mother-in-
law and to the God of the Israelites; Boaz, meanwhile, shows consis-
tent goodness. Though life had thrown so many hurdles in the way, the
story of Ruth illustrates how a right attitude can overcome odds.
The Week at a Glance:
In Boaz and Ruth we can see many
features that make a good foundation for a successful marriage
and for a faithful life in general.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 18.
57
SUNDAY
August 12
Family Affairs
Sometimes we can find goodness, faith, dedication, and selflessness
in the most unexpected places. The family relations shown in the book
of Ruth could have easily gone sour. Instead, they give us something
to emulate.
Read
Ruth 1 and, based on what you read, answer the following ques-
tions:
1. What parallel is found here with some earlier Bible characters?
Ruth 1:1; compare with Gen. 12:10, 26:1.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What evidence of the good family relations between everyone
involved do you find in Ruth 1? How were these good relations
manifested?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. Read Naomi’s words in Ruth 1:8, 15, 20, 21. What do these texts
tell us about her?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
This must have been some kind of family: a Hebrew mother-in-law
to two “pagan” daughters-in-law wouldn’t, on the surface, seem to
form a great relationship. It had all the earmarks for disaster.
And yet, the dedication to each other’s well-being is phenomenal.
We don’t know all that went on in their homes, but they obviously had
something that many homes certainly could use.
How faithful and loyal are you to those around you? What can
you do in order to think less of self and more about the good of
others?
58
MONDAY
August 13
Devotion of Ruth
Based
on Ruth 1, what can we know about the character of Ruth?
What evidence do we have that she believed in the God of Israel?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Ruth’s dedication to her mother-in-law was powerful. Orpah’s turn-
ing back possibly made Ruth’s decision to stick by her mother-in-law
more difficult. Naomi pointed to her and said, “ ‘[She’s] going back to
her people and her gods. Go back with her’ (Ruth 1:15, NIV). That
is when Ruth made her famous statement about wanting to be part of
the people of Israel. Obviously, she saw something in those people and
in their God that attracted her. All this despite the fact that Naomi her-
self doesn’t appear to be an openly aggressive evangelist.
What
evidence do we see here of just how, on one level, Naomi wasn’t
a good witness for the Lord?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Regardless of the problems, in Ruth we see a Moabite who sought
to be part of Israel, even though the Israelites were to be more accept-
ing of Edomites and Egyptians than of Moabites. Edomite and
Egyptian great-grandchildren (the third generation) might be allowed
into the assembly of the Lord
(Deut. 23:7, 8). But no descendant of
any Ammonite or Moabite could enter the Lord’s assembly, even down
to the tenth generation (vs. 3). However, this is not a prohibition
against ever marrying one of them, nor is it an exclusion of them from
salvation. Ruth adopts Naomi’s God as her very own, and in return
God shows her His favor in many ways.
Look at your own life, your own church, your own relationships
to others and to the Lord. What, if anything, is there that would
cause others to be drawn to your church and to your God?
What does y
our ans
wer tell you about yourself and your
church? Discuss your response in class on Sabbath.
59
TUESDAY
August 14
Boaz
So far we’ve seen numerous things in Ruth that show her to be a
person of good character, faithfulness, and dedication.
But, as we know, it takes two to make a couple. Hence, Boaz now
enters the story.
Read
Ruth 2:1–12. What can we learn here about the character of
Boaz? What points stand out about him?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
When Boaz found out who the young woman gleaning in his fields
was, he did several thoughtful things. He (1) gave her full encourage-
ment to glean in his fields, (2) provided for her peace of mind by
informing her that the men had been instructed not to bother her, (3)
provided for her further needs by making his drinking water available
for her, and (4) gave her spiritual encouragement.
Read
James 2:14–17. In what ways do we see the principles James ex-
pressed manifested here by Boaz? What lesson is in here for us?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Boaz further tried not to make Ruth feel as if she were a beggar
(Ruth 2:13–23). At mealtime he invited her to join his harvesters for
bread and a relish made with vinegar and even gave her enough
roasted grain so that there were leftovers. He instructed his men not to
embarrass her even if she gleaned among the tied sheaves, and he even
told them to deliberately remove stalks of grain from the sheaves and
leave them for her. The amount that Ruth took home was more than
could be gained through hard work. It testified to generosity. Finally,
Boaz invited her to spend the rest of the harvest days in his fields.
How often a kind word can make such a difference in a person’s
life! How quick are you to give praise and affirmation to those
around you? Be stingy with criticism; be generous in affirma-
tion.
60
WEDNESDAY
August 15
The Proposal
Read
Ruth 3. What noble traits of character are revealed in all the
actions of the people involved? In what ways were these traits
revealed in the life of Jesus?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
If there’s one thing about the Bible that should be clear to us, it is
that it takes place in a cultural context. Whatever the grand and eter-
nal truths God teaches us through His Word, they come to us through
people who live and function in their own culture—a culture that at
times can seem very strange to those who live in other cultures.
What
cultural things are revealed in this chapter that are strange to your
own culture?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Though it was in the darkness of the night, the proposal had the
potential to be very embarrassing for Ruth. She could have been spied
by someone, and stories might have spread. Boaz might have refused
her request. But Boaz immediately showed his thoughtfulness by try-
ing to put her at ease. He acted as though she was doing him a favor
by choosing him instead of some younger man. He then promised to
do all that she asked. Finally, he sent her back to Naomi laden with
food. He also went out of his way to protect her from any false accu-
sations that might have come from her visit to him.
Go back through Ruth 3 again and look at the different charac-
ter traits revealed there by Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz. How well do
you manifest these traits in your own life? What upcoming
issues and challenges are you facing in which you need to mani-
fest these same traits? Take some time to think through what’s
coming and how you can, through the grace of God, do the right
thing.
61
THURSDAY
August 16
Redemption
Read
Ruth 4. What ultimately came of this marriage between a Jew
and a non-Jew?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Redemption is perhaps the most important theme in the book of
Ruth. In various forms the Hebrew word occurs more than twenty-
three times in these four chapters. Boaz fulfills the role of redeemer
for Naomi and her deceased husband and son. David, the notable
descendant, later proved to be the redeemer of Israel’s fortunes lost
after Joshua; and Jesus, a further descendant, provided redemption for
the entire humanity
(Gal. 4:5, 1 Pet. 1:18, Rev. 5:9).
What
were the duties of a kinsman-redeemer? Lev. 25:25, 47–49; Num.
35:18, 19; Deut. 25:5, 6.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
The custom of a male relative marrying the deceased’s widow to raise
up an inheritance existed in other countries of the ancient Near East.
Deuteronomy 25:5 specifies that in Israel this practice applied just to
brothers living together. Judah attempted to get his second son to follow
this practice. Boaz did not qualify under the provisions of Deuteronomy
25, but it is apparent that extensions of this principle were practiced, and
in order of nearness of kin.
Naomi had not sold family property, but if and when it did go up for
sale, the closest relatives would have first option to buy it so as to keep it
in the family. The kinsman who would redeem this also had the obliga-
tion to marry Ruth to provide an heir for Mahlon, her deceased husband.
The fulfilling of the role of redeemer had its risk. If the kinsman-
redeemer had only one child, and that by Ruth, his own property would
pass on in the name of Mahlon. Hence, the law allowed the nearest kin
the opportunity to refuse to do what was expected of him. However, the
one who refused to redeem his relati
ve’s property and name had to
undergo a humiliating ceremony
(see Deut. 25:7–10).
As said earlier, the Bible unfolds within a particular cultural
context that can often be hard for those in other cultures to
understand fully. All that being said, what universal principles
regarding famil
y ob
lig
ations that should appl
y to us and our
family relationships can we find here? How well are you fulfilling
those obligations?
62
FRIDAY
August 17
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “Compatibility,” pp. 83–86,
in The Adventist Home.
In the beginning of the story, the odds of Ruth ending up marrying
Boaz were indeed minuscule. Many “circumstantial” events were nec-
essary to lead to their eventual meeting and marriage. (1) There had to
be a famine in Judah, else the family of Elimelech would not have left
Bethlehem. (2) They had to choose Moab rather than some other
country for refuge, such as Egypt or Edom, in order to come in con-
tact with Ruth. (3) There had to be eligible bachelors in Naomi’s fam-
ily to marry Ruth. (4) The male had to die in order for Ruth to be eli-
gible for a second marriage. (5) The famine in Judah had to end so that
Naomi could consider going back. (6) Ruth had to decide to accom-
pany Naomi. (7) Ruth had to happen to glean in the field of Boaz.
In the end, the Bible consistently presents the picture that the hand
of God is over all and that all that happens is with divine foreknowl-
edge. For those who love God and put Him first, all things work
together for their ultimate good (Rom. 8:28). This story is indeed a
great example of that principle.
Discussion Questions:
Look at Naomi’s reaction in Ruth 1:19–21. Compare it to her
words in Ruth 2:20. Why is this such a common reaction? What’s
wrong, however, with her “theology”?
As a class, discuss your answers to Tuesday’s last question.
What do your answers tell you about yourself and your church?
What things in your church would draw people to it? What
things would push people away? What practical things need to be
changed in order to make your church something that would
draw others to it and to the God you represent? How can you as
a class help to start implementing the needed changes?
As a class, talk about your own culture and how it deals with
family relationships. What things in your culture work toward
strengthening those relationships? What things work against it?
What can you do to help others better understand their obliga-
tions to family members?
Summary:
Despite some aspects of their situation not being ideal for
marriage, Boaz and Ruth had the essential qualities for a solid rela-
tionship. Both demonstrated a spirit of caring and sharing, and both
were deeply committed to God.
1
2
3
1
2
3
INSIDE
63
No Matter What
How much does your faith mean to you? To James Cherogony of Kenya,
it means everything. And though he is just 20 years old, already his faith
has cost him 3 years of his life.
James was a top student at a secondary school in Kenya when a fellow
student introduced James to the Seventh-day Adventist faith. James joined
his friend in worship and soon gave his life to the Lord.
As graduation neared, the students prepared for the national exams. To
score well on these exams meant a chance to study at a quality university
and prepare for the future. James was not sure what he would study. He
could excel in a number of areas.
But when exam dates were posted, two of his exams fell on the Sabbath.
He went to the headmaster and explained that he was a Seventh-day
Adventist and would not take the exams on Sabbath. But instead of help-
ing him, the school suspended him. When James’s parents learned what
had happened, they were angry. They refused to intervene with the school
to help James take the last two exams.
James had completed every requirement for graduation except those
two exams, but now he would have to repeat at least a year of high school
and retake the exams in order to graduate. But his parents refused to pay
for another year of tuition. For two years James stayed at home, working
to help the family, reading widely, writing letters, and seeking to find a
secondary school that did not require Sabbath class attendance or Sabbath
exams.
Then James learned of an Adventist secondary school attached to the
Adventist-owned University of Eastern Africa in Baraton, Kenya. There
he could complete his studies and take his exams. Thrilled, James applied
for admission and was accepted. Government regulations made James
repeat more than his final year of secondary school, but James is not
deterred.
Through his trials, James has remained a faithful Seventh-day Adventist
Christian, letting his faith shine as a light to his family and friends. His
parents have seen how much James’s faith means to him, and they no
longer trouble him about the missed exams and lost years.
James is determined that no matter what, he will not give up his faith in
God. Your mission offerings help young people such as James receive the
education they need in an environment that affirms and strengthens their
faith.
JAMES CHEROGONY
lives in K
en
ya. He is completing his secondary sc
hool and hopes to
study toward a career of service to God.
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
S
tor
64
L ESSON
8
*August 18–24
Elkanah and Hannah:
Fulfilling a
Vow
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
1 Sam. 1:1–2:26.
Memor
y Text:
“There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none
beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God”
(1 Samuel 2:2).
U
sually children are known by who their parents are; sometimes,
though, parents are known by their children. Such is the case
with Elkanah and Hannah. This couple did nothing extraordi-
nary except create Samuel. They were neither the first ones nor the last
ones to acquire a child after a prolonged period of anxiety and prayer.
Were it not for the child, these two—however faithful to the Lord—
most likely would have passed away into obscurity, known now only to
God and the angels. But the remarkable child Samuel caused the mem-
ory of Elkanah and Hannah to be preserved in the sacred Scriptures,
and so this couple, though dead, still speak to us today.
Most of the couples for study this quarter involve husbands who
were either patriarchs, prophets, or rulers, whom most of us aren’t.
But we can all be like Elkanah and Hannah. We may not have as dis-
tinguished a child, but we can show the same dedication and thus per-
haps bring the extraordinary out of the ordinary.
The Week at a Glance:
We can find in the story of Elkanah
and Hannah a faithful couple w
hom the Lor
d w
as a
b
le to use in a
remarkable way. What can we learn from their example?
*Study this week’s lesson to pr
epare for Sabbath, August 25.
65
SUNDAY
August 19
Elkanah
Read
1 Samuel 1. From what’s found in this text, what can we gather
about the character of Elkanah?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
“The father of Samuel was Elkanah, a Levite, who dwelt at Ramah,
in Mount Ephraim. He was a person of wealth and influence, a kind
husband, and a man who feared and reverenced God.”—Ellen G.
White, Signs of the Times
®
(Oct. 27, 1881), vol. 7, no. 40.
Though not much is said about Elkanah, and he’s somewhat in the
background of this story, a few points do emerge. He truly seemed to
love Hannah and did what he could to console her in her grief. He also
seemed to be a devout person, one who sought to obey the Lord.
Although his services were not required at the sanctuary, yet, like
many another Levite during the period of the judges
(Judges 17:8, 9),
Elkanah went up as a common Israelite with his own sacrifices to
encourage his neighbors and set them a good example. Though he
lived in the midst of an evil environment, his spirituality was evidently
at a high level. Even though Hophni and Phinehas were corrupt,
Elkanah was faithful in his worship and in the offering of his sacri-
fices.”—The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 455.
Perhaps what’s most impressive about Elkanah was in regard to
Hannah’s vow. After all, that was his own son she was giving to the
Lord. It certainly wouldn’t have been an easy thing for him to do, as
well.
How
did Elkanah respond to Hannah’s vow before the Lord? Did he
have the right to void that vow? See Num. 30:1–15.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Ask yourself, What aspects of Elkanah’s character could I bet-
ter emulate in my own personal relations and in my relationship
with the Lord?
66
MONDAY
August 20
The Marriage
As we saw yesterday, Elkanah was apparently a faithful follower of
the Lord. Yet, that faithfulness didn’t prevent him from deviating from
God’s ideal in marriage, one man and one wife. That polygamy was
permitted didn’t make it right—or good. God has given us an ideal
because He knows what’s best for us. When we depart from it, no good
can arise.
According to Ellen White, Hannah was Elkanah’s first wife. When
she didn’t produce offspring, he took another wife. “But this step,
prompted by a lack of faith in God, did not bring happiness. Sons and
daughters were added to the household; but the joy and beauty of
God’s sacred institution had been marred and the peace of the family
was broken. Peninnah, the new wife, was jealous and narrow-minded,
and she bore herself with pride and insolence. To Hannah, hope
seemed crushed and life a weary burden. . . .”—Ellen G. White,
Daughters of God, p. 39.
What
examples of lapses of faith and judgment can you find in other
Bible “heroes”? What were those lapses, and what were the con-
sequences?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
As we all should know, thanks to Jesus, in whom we have “forgive-
ness of sins”
(Col. 1:14; see also Exod. 34:7, Ps. 130:4, Eph. 1:7),
even our worst deeds have been atoned for. But the worse the deed, the
worse the consequences, usually. We might be given the promise of
forgiveness for our sins, but the Bible doesn’t promise freedom from
the immediate consequences of those sins. And even, as in the case of
Elkanah, if we do something that isn’t expressly forbidden, we can
still reap bitter consequences by deviating from principle. Thus, we
mustn’t fool ourselves with our own “piety” and “faithfulness.” Even
the best among us are not immune to lapses in faith and good judg-
ment.
Think of a few examples in your own life in which lack of faith
or a simple lapse of good judgment brought choices that reaped
bad consequences. What lessons did you learn that could help
you from making the same mistakes again?
67
TUESDAY
August 21
Hannah’s Vow
What
were the two problems that Hannah faced? (1 Sam. 1:1, 6).
Hannah means something like “the graceful one,” and Peninnah is
similar to “the fertile one.” How prophetic sometimes names turn out
to be! The Bible does not say that Elkanah loved Hannah more, but we
do get that impression. However, it is Peninnah who provided him
with children. Hannah’s problem is not only that she has no sons but
that Peninnah has several.
Elkanah
and his family journeyed to the sanctuary annually
(1 Sam. 1:3). What festivals were all Israelite males required to
attend? (Exod. 23:14–19).
1. ________________________ 2. ________________________
3. ________________________
The most festive of these was the Feast of Tabernacles, or the Feast
of Ingathering, and it is probably to this that Elkanah took his family
with him. But even if it was a personal family pilgrimage, it would
have been a happy occasion. In spite of all the joy and gaiety, or maybe
because of it, Hannah became despondent. More so because Peninnah
took pleasure in provoking her
(1 Sam. 1:7).
What
was the nature of Hannah’s vow? What assurance did she have
that the Lord heard her prayer?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
The Bible makes it clear that God intervened (1 Sam. 1:19), and
Hannah conceived a son. At the same time, too, the influence of emo-
tions on the body can be powerful. After Eli spoke with her (vs. 17),
there was a change in her whole demeanor. Whereas before she refused
to eat, now she ate; whereas before she looked sad, now her counte-
nance was changed. Verse 19 states that they, meaning at least her and
her husband, rose up early and worshiped before the Lord. The next
thing we are told, she conceives, and not just a child but a male, as well.
We might not always have such a clear answer to our prayers,
but what Bible promises can you lean on that help you trust in
the Lord’s goodness and care, promises that should give you the
kind of peace Hannah experienced?
68
WEDNESDAY
August 22
Hannah, Mother in Israel
Hannah named her son Samuel, which sounds like the Hebrew for
“God heard,” but which is related to “asked of God.” Hannah explains
the name: “ ‘Because I asked the Lord for him’ (1 Sam. 1:20, NIV).
Not wishing to go to the tabernacle until she could carry out her vow
and leave her son there, she waited until she had weaned him. In the
absence of refrigeration to keep milk fresh, this was perhaps as long
as three years.
“From the earliest dawn of intellect [Hannah] had taught her son to
love and reverence God and to regard himself as the Lord’s. By every
familiar object surrounding him she had sought to lead his thoughts
up to the Creator. When separated from her child, the faithful mother’s
solicitude did not cease. Every day he was the subject of her prayers.
Every year she made, with her own hands, a robe of service for him;
and as she went up with her husband to worship at Shiloh, she gave
the child this reminder of her love. Every fiber of the little garment
had been woven with a prayer that he might be pure, noble, and true.
She did not ask for her son worldly greatness, but she earnestly
pleaded that he might attain that greatness which Heaven values—that
he might honor God and bless his fellow men.”—Ellen G. White,
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 572.
After the child was born and weaned, Hannah fulfilled her vow to
the Lord and brought him to Eli. Hannah expected Eli, with a little
prompting, to remember the incident that had taken place. At that time
Eli had told her, without knowing her petition, “ ‘May the God of
Israel grant you what you have asked’
(1 Sam. 1:17, NIV). Now
Hannah reminds him, “ ‘I prayed for this child, and the Lord has
granted me what I asked of him’
(vs. 27, NIV). How easy it might
have been for her to forget the vow, to rationalize away all the reasons
for fulfilling it. After all, this was her only child!
What
reasons could Hannah have used to justify not fulfilling the vow?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Read Hannah’s prayer in 1 Samuel 2:1–11. What does it tell us
about the nature and character of God? What specific elements
mean the most to you right now, in whatever personal situations
you are facing? Ho
w can y
ou mak
e these w
ords your own?
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
69
THURSDAY
August 23
The Family Legacy
As we saw earlier, none of this could have happened had not
Elkanah agreed. Hannah, obviously, told him what she vowed; he, too,
was witness to the miracle and, as a man of God, agreed to go along.
That he did was a testimony to his faith as well.
Read
again 1 Samuel 1:23. There are three elements to Elkanah’s
words. What words show his concern for the happiness of his
wife? What words show his concern for his son? What words show
his desire that they be faithful to the Lord?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
While giving up the child would have been hard in the best of cir-
cumstances, another element that only complicated things, making the
decision even harder to fulfill, enters into the picture.
Read
1 Samuel 2:12–26. What kind of moral environment was
Samuel going to be subjected to? How could this have been used
as another reason not to fulfill the vow?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Regardless of that problem, this faithful husband and wife went
ahead and gave the child over. Obviously they had to trust in the Lord,
no matter how hard it might have been at times. The Lord rewarded
that faithfulness
(see 1 Sam. 2:20). After leaving Samuel at the taber-
nacle, Hannah gave birth to five more children
(1 Sam. 2:21). The
couple themselves do not appear again in the Bible. As far as they are
concerned, the story is over. But, of course, it’s not. Through their
faithfulness a great leader in Israel arose. Truly they are an example
of the principle found in words written long after they were gone:
‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord’ for “ ‘their deeds will
follow them’ (Rev. 14:13, NIV).
Were you to “die in the Lord” today, what deeds would follow
you? What does your answer tell you about how you’re living
your life? What changes might you consider making?
70
FRIDAY
August 24
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “Heaven’s Estimate of
Children,” p. 279, in
The Adventist Home.
“What a reward was Hannah’s! and what an encouragement to faith-
fulness is her example! There are opportunities of inestimable worth,
interests infinitely precious, committed to every mother. The humble
round of duties which women have come to regard as a wearisome
task should be looked upon as a grand and noble work. It is the
mother’s privilege to bless the world by her influence, and in doing
this she will bring joy to her own heart. She may make straight paths
for the feet of her children, through sunshine and shadow, to the glo-
rious heights above. But it is only when she seeks, in her own life, to
follow the teachings of Christ that the mother can hope to form the
character of her children after the divine pattern. The world teems
with corrupting influences. Fashion and custom exert a strong power
over the young. If the mother fails in her duty to instruct, guide, and
restrain, her children will naturally accept the evil, and turn from the
good. Let every mother go often to her Saviour with the prayer, ‘Teach
us, how shall we order the child, and what shall we do unto him?’
—Ellen G. White,
Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 572, 573.
Discussion Questions:
This story is a nice example of a faithful couple being re-
warded for their fidelity. What about cases in which, it seems,
faithful people aren’t rewarded, at least now in what appears to
be in any tangible way? As a class, talk about such cases. What
answers do you have?
So many people have been so terribly damaged by a poor
upbringing. What promises and hope can you offer to someone
who struggles in overcoming the damage done to them in child-
hood?
We all know stories of faithful parents who, though doing
their best to raise their children right, suffer terribly when those
children leave the faith. Talk frankly about this situation. What
encouragement and hope can you share with each other?
Summary:
Common people were made uncommon by their dedica-
tion to God. Hannah’s vow was unusual, but she carried it out, and
God blessed her and her husband, Elkanah, for it.
1
2
3
1
2
3
INSIDE
71
Just Pray!
by CLYDE VILLAN
“Help! Help!” The mournful cries awakened me in the night. They came
from the forest near our mountain cottage, where my partner and I teach
in a mission school. I awakened my teaching partner, grabbed my flash-
light, and ran toward the voice.
“Teacher, help!” came the cry again. We found the victim, Datu (Chief)
Campilan, lying in a pool of blood, too weak to crawl any farther. His left
leg was pierced through by a pointed bamboo stick used to capture wild
boar or deer.
I shouted for help, and the villagers came running. But when they saw
their chief, they refused to touch him or come close to him. “What is
wrong?” I asked. “Why are you afraid to help our chief?” But no one
answered.
My teaching partner and I prepared to carry the datu to our cottage, but
he said, “Just pray, Maestro. I believe that your God is powerful.
I told the chief to close his eyes and nodded to my partner to hold the
datu’s leg. Without warning I pulled the bamboo stick from his leg. He
cried out in pain, but the stake was out. I tied the wound with a clean cloth
to stop the bleeding, and we carried him to our cottage. There we washed
his wound and applied a poultice of charcoal.
I told him that we must take him to the hospital the next day, for we did
not have the medicines to treat him. But the chief refused. “If I die, I will
die in my own village,” he said.
Then I remembered a lecture from our missionary training. These peo-
ple believe that if someone dies in your care, the dead person’s soul will
demand that you join him on the journey to the next world. In other words,
if the datu died, we would be killed. No wonder no one would touch the
chief in the forest.
But Datu Campilan’s faith was strong. “You just pray, Maestro, and your
God will heal me.We prayed all night. The next morning I ran to town to
buy antibiotics. We continued to treat Datu Campilan, and with each treat-
ment we prayed for God’s healing power.
God healed Datu Campilan. He shows his scar and tells his villagers that
the God of the missionary teachers is a powerful, healing God.
CLYDE VILLAN
was a student missionary in Sil-angon Mission School when he wrote this
story. He studies at Mountain View College in southern Philippines.
S
tor
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
72
L ESSON
9
*August 25–31
The Jobs: Living With
Losses
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
Job 1:1–2:10.
Memory Text:
“He replied, ‘You are talking like a foolish
woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?’
(Job
2:10, NIV).
T
he nature of the book of Job, similar to what’s called Wisdom
literature, and the names of the characters in the story suggest
an Edomite setting. The closest we can get to a name in the
Bible similar to Job’s is an Edomite king, Jobab (Gen. 36:33).
Job’s wife’s name isn’t given. In fact, not much is said about her at
all. In the whole Bible, she’s quoted in only one verse, and based upon
that quote—uttered amid pain and tragedy that most people couldn’t
imagine—she’s been remembered. She, though, may have been the
model wife in every way, caring for her household, ministering to her
suffering husband, taking food to him at the dump, nursing his boils,
etc. But those good acts are not recorded; instead, the emphasis is on
her husband and his suffering, with her only appearance being her
urging him to do the very thing that Satan wanted.
Both husband and wife, as a couple, suffered with their losses; each
one, though, reacted differently to them. We’re not called to judge him
or her but to learn and to take heed.
The Week at a Glance:
The story of Job and his wife
reveals early on the reality of tragedy and suffering here on earth.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 1.
73
SUNDAY
August 26
The Story of Job
For thousands of years the story of Job has inspired, baffled, and
challenged readers. God alone knows how many books, commen-
taries, and essays have been written on this ancient book that, along
with Genesis, are the two oldest books in the Bible, both written by
Moses in Midian. “The long years spent amid desert solitudes were
not lost. Not only was Moses gaining a preparation for the great work
before him, but during this time, under the inspiration of the Holy
Spirit, he wrote the book of Genesis and also the book of Job, which
would be read with the deepest interest by the people of God until the
close of time.”—Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times
®
, Feb. 19, 1880.
Read
Job 1:1–2:8.What do these texts tell us about the character and
nature of Job? What is it about his nature and character that
make all the things that happen to him even harder to under-
stand?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
It’s interesting that the book of Job should be, along with Genesis,
the first books of the Bible to be written. It’s as if the Lord knew, right
from the start, that one of the great questions facing human beings
would be the question of evil. If the God of heaven is so loving and so
powerful, why is there so much pain and suffering on earth? For many
people this question poses the greatest challenge to faith.
Thus, right from the start, the Lord, with the book of Job, along with
Genesis, gives us the background of the great controversy theme. We
are taken behind the scenes and shown things that—even with all our
telescopes and other fancy scientific devices—we would otherwise
never see. Though not answering all the questions, the book of Job
shows us, if nothing else, that suffering, pain, and calamity have
hardly caught God by surprise. Hence, they shouldn’t take us by sur-
prise either, and they certainly don’t present valid reasons for reject-
ing the God of Scripture.
Write out a paragraph explaining, the best you can, your under-
standing of why suffering exists in the world despite God’s love
for it. Be prepared to bring your answer to class on Sabbath.
74
MONDAY
August 27
Remember Job’s Wife
Read
over again the calamities that befell this couple. Only now put
yourself in Job’s wife’s place. What must have been going on in
this poor woman’s mind?
Though the story of Job centers on him and his sufferings, we mustn’t
forget his wife. It was her servants, too, who were destroyed; it was the
property that she benefited from that was destroyed; and it was her
children, the fruit of her womb, that were suddenly killed. Then to top
it off, it was her husband, the person with whom she had become “one
flesh” (Gen. 2:24), who was suddenly struck down with loathsome
sores and boils. Whatever Job himself suffered, she suffered the same,
maybe even more. One should easily understand her distress. As the
Bible presents the story, however, she’s given only one line out of 42
full chapters. Obviously, more went on behind the scenes than what’s
revealed to us here.
Read
Job 2:9. Focus particularly on her question. What’s implied in
it?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
In Job 1:1, Job is described as someone who was tam vyahsar, trans-
lated “blameless and upright” (NIV). It’s interesting that in her ques-
tion “Do you still hold fast to your integrity?” (Job 2:9, NKJV), the
word for “integrity” is from the same word for “blameless” in Job 1:1,
which in Hebrew also means “complete,” or “perfect” (see also Gen.
6:9, 17:1, Pss. 37:37, 64:4). It’s also the same word that God uses to
describe Job once in Job 1:8 and twice in Job 2:3 (“perfect,
“integrity”). Thus, exactly how Job is described four times is the spe-
cific point about his character that she is now questioning. How can
you still stay so “blameless” before God with all these things hap-
pening to us?
Again, we mustn’t forget that this couple shared these
calamities; what happened to Job wasn’t much different from what
happened to her.
The idea here is that these things shouldn’t happen to us if we
are “blameless” before God. What’s wrong with that kind of
thinking? At the same time, in what ways does being “blame-
less” bring benef
its e
v
en now to our lives?
75
TUESDAY
August 28
Satan’s Temptresses
Review
Genesis 3:1–13. What parallels can you find between this
story and the story of Job and his wife?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
There are several similarities in the story of Adam and the story of
Job. First, both men were “perfect” and “complete,” at least in their
respective spheres. Second, both were facing tests that dealt with, lit-
erally, cosmic issues. Third, both their wives were victimized by
Satan, though in different ways. Fourth, in both cases Satan used the
wives as instruments of temptation against their husbands.
Read
again Satan’s charges against Job (Job 1:7–11, 2:3–5). In what
way is Job’s wife, however unwittingly, being used by Satan
against her own husband?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Job’s wife surely didn’t know any more about the cosmic drama
unfolding behind the scenes than did her husband. Satan was duping
her, using her for his ends. Satan took advantage of Eve amid the bliss
and happiness of Eden; in contrast, he took advantage of Job’s wife
amid unspeakable pain and suffering. Our cruel foe will use whatever
he can, and whomever he can, in any circumstances he can, in order
to lead us into sin and away from God. We should also note that Adam,
sinless and in the bliss and perfection of Eden, succumbed to the
deceptions; Job, a fallen being living amid terrible pain and suffering,
didn’t. What a testimony to the integrity of Job.
Ask yourself, male or female, What can I do to make sure that I
never place myself in a position where I am tempting someone
either wittingly or unwittingly, especially someone close to me,
to do the wrong thing?
76
WEDNESDAY
August 29
Curse God and Die!
Satan’s whole point against God was that Job was “blameless” only
because God was so good to him and that the moment things went bad,
Job would turn against Him. Twice Satan said that Job would “curse”
God to His face. As we saw, the exact thing that Satan said Job would
do was the exact thing that his wife told him to do. Again, how care-
ful we need to be with the words we speak, especially in moments of
intense emotions.
What
do the following texts say about the power and importance of
words? Prov. 13:3; 25:11; Eccles. 10:12; Matt. 12:36, 37; John 5:24.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Commentators on the book of Job have noticed one very interesting
point. When Satan says twice that Job will “curse” God to His face
and when Job’s wife tells him to “curse” God, the typical Hebrew
words for “curse” aren’t used. Instead, the word comes from the root
brk, which commonly means “bless” (Gen. 12:2, Exod. 12:32, Ruth
2:4, Ps. 26:12). The psalmist writes about blessing (from brk) the
Lord (Ps. 16:7, 26:12, 34:1). Now, though, in Job, the same word is
translated
curse. (In Job 1:5 the word curse is also from brk; also in
1 Kings 21:10, the same use of brk appears.)
Read
those verses we’ve looked at in Job where the root brk is trans-
lated “curse,” but the word bless is put in instead. What happens?
Clearly the texts don’t make sense if brk here were to mean bless.
Maybe in the case of Job’s wife, one could argue that she was being
sarcastic (as was Satan before God): Sure, Job, why not bless God for
all His goodness to us and then die!
However, seeing how it’s used, for
instance, in Job 1:5, it’s clear that this is just one of the idioms of lan-
guage in which words are used in unexpected ways.
How careful are you with your words? What can you do to make
sure that you don’t say things that you will regret later, things
that can bring suffering upon yourself and others?
77
THURSDAY
August 30
Supporting Each Other
Job’s wife must have been his support in most ways during his
ordeal. She must have suffered as she prepared his meals and bathed
his sores. His gaunt body and peeling skin must have tore at her heart.
She alone ventured close enough to get hit by his foul breath (Job
19:17). When she finally broke down, it was not against him, neither
was it for her own sake, but for his. She had kept her cool as asset after
asset disappeared. She is not recorded as uttering any unbecoming
word when her ten children were felled in one blow. But the sight of
her suffering husband was the last straw in the series of undeserving
reverses. Hers was a righteous indignation.
Read
Job 2:10.What was the essence of Job’s reaction? What did it say
about his faithfulness to God, even despite great pain?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
In response to his wife’s outburst, Job does not call her foolish. He
says she speaks like one of the foolish women. She is not a foolish
woman, and this is not her normal behavior; it is unbecoming of her.
Thus, Job’s words seem to indicate something about her; that she was,
under normal circumstances, not one of the “foolish” women. This,
though, wasn’t a normal circumstance at all.
What
wrong idea did Job express in regard to the nature of his suf-
fering?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Even though Job wrongly attributes his suffering to God, he seeks
to stay faithful to God anyway. His use of the words good and evil are
the same Hebrew words used in Genesis 2:17 to describe the forbid-
den tree. Humans were never to know evil, only good. Evil doesn’t
come from God; it comes only from a deviation or falling away from
God. Evil, though, has become so pervasive that even the blameless
suffer from it. Of course, of all the blameless ones to suffer from sin,
none was more blameless than Jesus, and no one suffered from evil
more than He did
(Isa. 53:3–6, 2 Cor. 5:21, 1 Pet. 2:24, 4:1).
Read the first chapter of 1 Peter. What message does he have
there that parallels the story of the Jobs? Then ask yourself,
How well do I hold up under suffering? What lessons do I need
to learn that will better enable me to remain faithful regardless
of the circumstances?
78
FRIDAY
August 31
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “A Happy, Successful
Partnership, pp. 105–113, in The Adventist Home.
“We know very little about this woman, and the tendency has been
to consider her an evil woman. Undoubtedly Job’s suffering caused
her to suffer as well. Losing all her wealth was painful, but even more
emotionally and psychologically devastating would have been losing
all her children. Her pain may have been even more intense than her
husband’s. Yet in the story she bears her pain quietly. She loved Job. It
must have been extremely painful for her to see her husband going
through excruciating physical, psychological, and spiritual pain and
be unable to do anything to bring relief. There seems to be only one
way left for her. She speaks to Job from the depth of her love and con-
cern for him. She doesn’t realize that, like Peter, she is echoing Satan’s
words. No, she is not a foolish woman, but that day she spoke ‘like’
one.”—Ángel Rodríguez, Adventist Review
®
, Apr. 13, 2000, p. 27.
Discussion Questions:
As a class, read aloud your answers to Sunday’s final question.
What can you learn from each other? How good are the answers?
What questions remain unanswered? How can we help each
other live with unanswered questions about pain and suffering?
What are practical ways in which spouses can work to encour-
age, uplift, and help each other spiritually, as opposed to being
instruments of temptation and the cause that makes it easier for
the other to stumble?
Is there someone in your church who has recently suffered a
tragedy? What can you do as a class, in a practical way, to
encourage that person and to help him or her work through the
grief?
As a class, talk about the idea of taking the name of the Lord
in vain. What are examples of how we might even unwittingly be
guilty of that sin? Think about phrases, curses, idioms, and slang
words in your own language as you discuss the answer.
Summary:
The Jobs bore their reverses with equanimity. Even though
she may have suffered more than Job, the wife broke down only when
she could no longer bear to see the pain her husband was in. We can
look to them for inspiration when we are faced with similar losses that
pale in comparison with theirs.
1
2
3
1
2
3
4
INSIDE
79
Witchcraft to Wonderful
Savior
by ANTONIO SINABARE
I grew up in Mozambique, in a family that worshiped traditional gods
and practiced witchcraft. I became sick and lost consciousness for hours
at a time. My parents, with all their witchcraft, could not help me.
My sisters attended a Christian church. I noticed that when they sang
Christian songs, I felt better. I began attending their church looking for
healing. The pastor took me into his home to help me. When he saw the
devil strings I wore, he told me to remove them. I obeyed, and from that
day on I had no more fainting spells.
The pastor said I had the spirit of prophecy and healing, a gift from God
that I could use to bless others. I prophesied and laid hands on people, who
were healed. I was filled with pride that I was doing God’s work. But I
soon learned differently.
Controversy split my church, and my pastor and I formed another
church. The pastor invited a teacher to teach us the Bible, hoping to
increase our group’s size and strength. The teacher taught things that I had
never heard before. He showed us that when people die, they sleep until
Jesus comes rather than go to heaven. When he showed us God’s true
Sabbath, our little group became divided. Eight church members, includ-
ing my wife and me, began attending the Adventist church on Sabbath and
our church on Sunday.
After my wife and I joined the Adventist church, I learned how to hold
evangelistic meetings and give Bible studies. I began visiting neighbors
and members of other churches, offering to study the Bible with them. I
held a small evangelistic series, and six people followed Jesus and joined
the Adventist church. Some leaders of other churches threatened us, but I
could not stop sharing what I knew was God’s truth with others.
We moved to an area that had no Adventist congregation, and we
planted a church there. The more I taught others, the stronger my own faith
grew. It was like a fire in my bones; I had to share my faith with others. In
six years God has helped me plant two churches. The members are faith-
ful, and the congregations continue to grow. One congregation now has 40
members.
I no longer feel pride in the powers I thought God had given me. I find
joy in humbly teaching God’s truth to others and training new believers to
bring their friends to Jesus and teach them.
ANTONIO SINABARE
is a shop o
wner in
T
ete
, Mozambique
.
S
tor
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
80
L ESSON
10
*September 1–7
David and Bathsheba:
Adultery
and After
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This W
eek’s Study:
2 Samuel 11, 12.
Memor
y Text:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew
a right spirit within me”
(Psalm 51:10).
T
he marriage of David and Bathsheba is a model for how to do
almost everything wrong. Born out of adultery, then compli-
cated with deception and murder, it’s a sordid account of just
how fallen humanity has become.
In the incident with Bathsheba, David broke the sixth command-
ment, “Thou shalt not kill”; the seventh commandment, “Thou shalt
not commit adultery”; the ninth commandment, “Thou shalt not bear
false witness against thy neighbour”; and the tenth commandment,
“Thou shalt not covet”
(Exod. 20:1–17). Whatever pressures David
put on her, Bathsheba put herself in a very vulnerable position when
she washed herself in sight of the king’s house. Whoever imagined
that a little bath water could be so dangerous? Whether a deliberate
ploy to entice the king or just an unfortunate lapse in judgment, her
indiscretion ended in dire consequences for them both.
In the end, the fact that David received forgiveness stands as a pow-
erful testimony of God’s grace for even the most inexcusable sins, sins
that weren’t just sins but crimes. While we marvel at how low David
stooped, what’s even more marvelous is that God’s grace extended
even to the depths of human depravity. How fortunate for us.
The Week at a Glance:
The story of David and Bathsheba
ever bears witness to how even the most godly people, unless care-
ful, can fall into the worst of sin. How fortunate that we have a
God who forgi
v
es the unf
or
gi
vable.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 8.
81
SUNDAY
September 2
Precursor to a Fall
Read
2 Samuel 3:1–5 and 2 Samuel 5:13. What’s in these texts that
helps us understand why David would do what he did with
Bathsheba and, on the other hand, helps us understand why his
act of adultery was even more heinous?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Proverbs says that “the eyes of man are never satisfied” (Prov.
27:20). How true in the case of David. By the time he lusted after
Bathsheba, he already had more than six wives and who knows how
many concubines. And yet that was not enough? And worse, to satisfy
his lusts he had to take another man’s wife?
We shouldn’t miss the important principle here: Any deviation from
the will of God opens the soul up to more and more folly and decep-
tion. By transgressing God’s will, David opened himself to more
temptation. The indulgence of a passion, far from removing the pas-
sion, only makes that passion stronger and stronger. Had David fol-
lowed God’s ideal, one man, one wife, he would have been less open
to Satan’s temptations. In this case the floodgates were opened, and
David was swept away in the deluge.
Read
James 1:12–15. What warning to us is the Lord giving here?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Those who have ever struggled with addiction, with uncontrollable
desires of any kind, know how sin is never satisfied. The more you
indulge it, the more you want it; and the more you want it, the easier
it is to make excuses for it until you are enslaved by it. As Jesus said,
‘Everyone who sins is a slave to sin’ (John 8:34, NIV).
What has been your own experience with powerful temptations,
with addictions, with drives that seem to control you rather than
vice versa? What promises do we have for victory? What choices
do you have to make in order to make those promises real in
your own life?
82
MONDAY
September 3
The Fall
Read
2 Samuel 11:1–5. What were the steps that led to David’s fall?
At what points in the progression of events could he have stopped
before sinning? What Old Testament stories would he have known
about that he could have drawn inspiration from? See, for instance,
Gen. 39:7–14.
The initial temptation from “seeing” comes to all of us. This may be
involuntary and is not sin. The next step is stopping to investigate.
This could be treading on very dangerous ground and may be sin in
the mind. It could be very difficult to keep from getting into the next
and final step, the actual misdeed.
It’s clear, though, that right from the start David knew exactly what
he was doing. He had inquired about who she was, and even though
he was told, directly, that she was the wife of another man, he, never-
theless, had her brought to him in order to fulfill his own lusts. What
other reason did he have to do this? She was already married, so he
wasn’t interested in making her a wife. He wasn’t interested in falling
in love with her. He was, it seems, driven purely by passion.
Plus, was he not the king? Was he not used to getting whatever he
wanted? Why not, then, this woman, as well?
Read
again 2 Samuel 11:4. What can we tell about Bathsheba and
how she responded to David’s seduction?
Was she flattered by the attention of the king, or did she try to resist
his advances? Might she have been purposely washing herself in his
sight, or was she taking for granted that the king would be off fight-
ing with his army, as was the custom in the spring, according to the
Bible (2 Sam. 11:1)? The text makes no indication that the king had
forced her, such as in Ammon’s rape of Tamar (2 Sam. 13:14). Nor
does it say that she willingly gave herself to him. Whatever the details,
David—who should have known better—took advantage of this young
woman and led them both into sin.
Sexual drives can be very strong. How careful are we not to take
advantage of these weaknesses in others and exploit them for
personal satisfaction or gain? What kind of messages are you
sending by your words, your dress, your body language?
83
TUESDAY
September 4
The Cover-up
In 2 Samuel 11:5, Bathsheba tells David that she’s pregnant. That she
just assumed David was the father indicates that she probably hadn’t
been with anyone else, including her own husband.
Read
2 Samuel 11:6–25. Does Bathsheba play a role in the cover-up
of her husband? Explain.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
We have no indication whatsoever that Bathsheba knew of David’s
plans for her husband. He probably wanted it that way. The fact, how-
ever, that David tried to get Uriah to go home to his wife probably
indicated that David was sure that she wasn’t going to tell her husband
that she got pregnant by the king.
Why
not? See Lev. 20:10.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
David had her in a bind. Had she confessed, she would have faced
the possibility of death. And had it come down to it, David would have
denied everything (after all, he committed murder in order to try to get
out of it). How much easier if all he had to do was tell a lie!
Why
would I, with all these wives and concubines, take the wife of one of
my most trusted and valiant soldiers? And Bathsheba, pregnant with
another man’s baby, would have had no way to prove his guilt either.
Who would believe her word against a beloved and powerful king with
all these women at his disposal? She was totally helpless.
Thus, from her perspective, what would she gain from confessing?
David apparently knew this, which was why he felt safe in trying to
get Uriah into her presence. As it turned out, of course, that never hap-
pened.
Look at how quickly one moment of uncontrolled passion led to
a spiral of sin and crime in a man of God. How carefully are you
controlling your passions, your desires? How can you better
place yourself in a position w
her
e y
ou ar
e less tempted b
y things
that can lead you down this same horrid path?
84
WEDNESDAY
September 5
The Wages of Sin
Read
2 Samuel 11:26, 27. What does this tell us about both David and
Bathsheba?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Bathsheba mourned for her dead husband. What might have made
her grief even worse was the knowledge that, perhaps, she was impli-
cated in his death. How much she knew, at that time, regarding David’s
deeds we don’t know, but eventually the rumors started spreading
about David’s sins. Meanwhile, David did the only “honorable” thing
he could and took her to him as a wife. Let’s assume that she needed
at least a month to know that she was pregnant; let’s assume, too, that
she mourned for her husband 30 days
(Num. 20:29). Depending, then,
on how long it took David to get Uriah killed, it’s still hard to see how
anyone could not have known something was amiss regarding the tim-
ing of this child’s birth.
Read
2 Samuel 12:13–23. What principle do we see operating here?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
It’s hard to understand why an innocent baby should suffer for sins
he had nothing to do with. But this is the horrible nature of sin. It leads
to the suffering of others, even those who might have had nothing to
do with the sin. How many spouses and children have suffered ter-
ribly because of the sin of adultery committed by a parent? Sin never
happens in isolation. Sooner or later, in one way or another, the con-
sequences appear.
What other examples can you find in the Bible of
this same principle?
Read
2 Samuel 12:24. What does this tell us about the relationship
between David and Bathsheba?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Theirs was, from the start, a marriage that never should have been.
David, though, shows here compassion for her, and they eventually
have another child together.
Forgiven sin can bring about horrible consequences anyway.
What lesson can you take from this story as you daily confront
temptations to sin?
85
THURSDAY
September 6
David and Bathsheba: The Final Days
After the birth of Solomon, Bathsheba disappears from the pages of
the Bible until years later, at the end of David’s reign. She would have
become simply another one of David’s wives had it not been for the
fact that their next son, Solomon, was destined to take the throne of
Israel. In 1 Chronicles 22:5–9, David stated that the Lord told him that
Solomon was to be the next king.
Read
1 Kings 1:1–27. What is happening here? Why would Adonijah
believe that he should have the throne before Solomon? See
2 Samuel 3:4.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
For whatever reason, God chose Solomon to be the heir to the
throne. Bathsheba, after the birth of Solomon, doesn’t appear again
until Adonijah’s revolt, where she and Nathan inform David of what is
happening. Both she and Nathan know that Solomon, not Adonijah,
was the Lord’s choice.
David comforts Bathsheba after their son dies. And now as the king-
dom is poised on the brink of civil war, more than ever, Bathsheba
needs the king’s assurance to secure the succession of their son.
Read
1 Kings 1:28–31. Notice her response to the king after he gives
her the reassurance she longs for. What might that say about their
relationship, as well? How does Bathsheba’s approach and respect
for the king, her husband, model how we, as a church, should
approach our King, Jesus, with our petitions?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Any kind of a good relationship—marriage, friendship, or one
between a parent and child—needs nurturing. What immediate
relationships of yours need some mending, some nurture, some
work? What steps can you take to make that relationship bet-
ter?
86
FRIDAY
September 7
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “Moral Standards,” pp.
326–339, in The Advenitst Home.
“Many have murmured at what they called God’s injustice in sparing
David, whose guilt was so great, after having rejected Saul for what
appear to them to be far less flagrant sins. But David humbled himself
and confessed his sin, while Saul despised reproof and hardened his
heart in impenitence. . . .
“Whoever under the reproof of God will humble the soul with con-
fession and repentance, as did David, may be sure that there is hope for
him. Whoever will in faith accept God’s promises, will find pardon.
The Lord will never cast away one truly repentant soul. He has given
this promise: ‘Let him take hold of My strength, that he may make
peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me. Isaiah 27:5. ‘Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let
him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him; and to our
God, for He will
abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:7.”—Ellen G. White,
Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 726.
Discussion Questions:
Read the story of Nathan with David (2 Sam. 12:1–8). Notice
how obvious it should have been to David, right from the start,
that this story was about him. And yet, he totally missed it. What
lessons can we take from this about how easy it is to deceive our-
selves regarding sin? As a class, talk about what precautions we
can take to protect ourselves, and each other, from falling into
such gross self-deception.
As a class, read Psalm 51 together. Discuss the elements of the
gospel of Jesus Christ that are found there. What does it teach us
about the power of God’s grace in our lives?
What practical spiritual truths can we learn from the story of
David and Bathsheba that can help us avoid the kind of mistakes
made here? What can we do to help each other avoid the kind of
pit that David fell into?
Summary:
Take heed—even the mightiest among us can fall; and the
mightier they are, the worse the consequences. The story of David
and Bathsheba contains a powerful message about the cost of sin, as
well as the greatness of God’s grace.
1
2
3
1
2
3
INSIDE
87
The Pain That Saved
by DASS KUMAR
Ganesan grew up in a family that was devoted to the idols they wor-
shiped in their hometown in India. They spent much time and money dec-
orating the idols and praying to them. Ganesan continued the family devo-
tion into adulthood.
One day as he was working, he was struck by an intense pain in his
cheek so severe that he fell down. The pain subsided, but it often returned,
disrupting his work, his sleep, his entire life. Doctors could not relieve the
pain, so for months Ganesan went to the temple to offer gifts and pray for
relief. But the pain returned day after day. At times it grew so severe that
Ganesan thought only death would bring relief.
One day a cousin learned of Ganesan’s trouble and invited him to visit
her church to let the members pray for him. Ganesan went, and the mem-
bers prayed, but the pain continued. He wanted to understand more about
Jesus, whom Christians worshiped, but he found the pastor’s words diffi-
cult to understand.
Then one day as he sat reading his Bible, some visitors knocked at his
door. They saw his New Testament and asked him about his faith. Ganesan
said he was searching for God and for healing from the pain that was
destroying his life. The visitors offered to return and study the Bible with
him, and Ganesan agreed.
As Ganesan and his sister Mohana studied their Bible, they realized they
had wasted so much time and money worshiping idols that could not hear
or speak or answer prayers. They removed the idols from their home and
committed themselves to worship the only true God.
Mohana and Ganesan attended evangelistic meetings and were among
the first to commit their lives to Christ in baptism. As Ganesan was
immersed in baptism, he felt something touch
him. Soon he realized that the pain in his
cheek that had plagued him for months was
gone.
Ganesan changed his name to Jacob, one
who wrestled with God. He and his sister now
share their faith and their testimonies with
their neighbors and invite them to come and
see that Jesus is the living, all-powerful God.
JACOB GANESAN (left). DASS KUMAR
is a pastor in
Chennai (Madras), India.
S
tor
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
88
L ESSON
11
*September 8–14
Ahab and Jezebel:
Abuse
of Authority
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
1 Kings 16:28–18:46.
Memory Text:
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbe-
lievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteous-
ness? and what communion hath light with darkness?”
(2 Corinthians 6:14).
I
f there were ever a couple in the Bible not to emulate, it would be
Ahab and Jezebel. Talk about a marriage made in hell! When you
take one weak-willed king and add to him a power-hungry and
conniving woman, the result will not be good.
In many ways this week’s study is about power and authority; more
specifically, it’s about the abuse of power and authority.
Power and authority are gifts from God. Those who have them have
the divine responsibility to wield that power and authority in a godly
way. When they don’t, they are sinning, not just against people, but
against God Himself. As we’ll see this week, Abab and Jezebel used
their power and their authority in a way contrary to the will of God.
They reaped the consequences, too. There’s a good lesson here for all
of us regarding how we use whatever power we have been granted.
The Week at a Glance:
Aha
b and Jezebel were a husband-
and-wife team that brought out the worst in each other. That’s bad
enough for any marriage, but when they happened to be the leaders
of a nation, the results were disastrous.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 15.
89
SUNDAY
September 9
Ahab
Last week we looked at David’s sin against Bathsheba, the sin that
led to so much pain and suffering, not just for himself, but for his
nation. Indeed, his weakened stature helped fuel the seeds of rebellion
in his own house, and that certainly helped pave the way for the rend-
ing of the nation into two separate kingdoms a generation or so later.
Read
1 Kings 16:28–30. What does this tell us about the character of
Ahab?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
What
were some of the things that previous kings had done? 1 Kings
12:25–33; 13:33, 34; 14:22–27; 15:26, 34; 16:15–20, 25. How does
this help us understand the degree of wickedness found in Ahab’s
reign?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
“Two years before the death of Asa, Ahab began to rule in the king-
dom of Israel. From the beginning his reign was marked by a strange
and terrible apostasy. His father, Omri, the founder of Samaria, had
‘wrought evil in the eyes of the Lord, and did worse than all that were
before him’ (1 Kings 16:25); but the sins of Ahab were even greater.
He ‘did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the
kings of Israel that were before him, acting ‘as if it had been a light
thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat.Verses
33, 31. Not content with encouraging the forms of religious service
followed at Bethel and Dan, he boldly led the people into the grossest
heathenism, by setting aside the worship of Jehovah for Baal wor-
ship.”—Ellen G. White,
Prophets and Kings, p. 114.
From our perspective it’s hard to understand how these kings could
have fallen into such sin and apostasy. But that’s the problem: We’re
looking at these things from our perspective, not theirs. Who knows
what any of us might have done were we in the same position. These
stories should serve as a warning to all of us about how easily we can
fall away from the living God.
What daily steps can you take in your own life to protect your-
self against slo
wl
y
,
steadil
y mo
ving away from a saving relation-
ship with Jesus Christ?
90
MONDAY
September 10
Power Couple
As if everything Ahab had already done weren’t bad enough, he
added to his sin by marrying Jezebel (1 Kings 16:31), the pagan
princess whose name has become synonymous with evil.
This more than likely was a marriage born out of political expedi-
ency than out of love. War, mostly with Aram under Ben-hadad, domi-
nated the 22-year reign of Ahab. This conflict prompted alliances with
other threatened neighbors and resulted in Ahab’s marrying Jezebel,
the daughter of Ethbaal, king of Sidon, who also served as a priest of
Astarte. Sometime later Ahab’s daughter Athaliah helped cement ties
with Judah through marriage with Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat and
crown prince of Judah.
Right
after the Bible says that he married Jezebel, what did Ahab
start doing? 1 Kings 16:31–33.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Already so filled with sin and compromise, Ahab probably didn’t
need a lot of encouragement from his pagan wife not only to serve
Baal but also to help spread the worship of Baal in the nation of Israel.
Was she doing it because she was a true believer in her god, or was she
doing it to consolidate power? After all, if the followers of Yahweh had
control, she would probably be dead, not queen. More than likely she
was interested in keeping power. How convenient to use a supposed
devotion to her “god” as a way of getting that power.
What
evidence do we have of her attempts to eradicate the worship of
the true God and replace it with Baal worship? 1 Kings 18:4, 13;
19:1, 2; 21:25.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
One sin led to another and another. . . . Before long the king had
reached levels of degradation he himself probably couldn’t have
ever imagined. What lessons can we learn from this sad account
that can help us not make the same kind of errors?
91
TUESDAY
September 11
Jezebel and Elijah
Review
the famous story in 1 Kings 18. What issues were at stake
here?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
A powerful struggle between Elijah and Jezebel ensued. As queen,
Jezebel held political clout. With religious fervor she carried on in
Israel the work of her father, king and priest of Baal and Astarte in
Tyre and Sidon. Ahab built a temple to Baal for Jezebel, which doubt-
less included a “seminary” for the training of priests. Jezebel person-
ally presided over the Baal cult in Israel and made it the state religion.
How
did Jezebel show her support for the prophets of her cult? See
1 Kings 18:19.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Four hundred of these prophets ate at her table. This means that they
had access to the royal household, all with the support of her husband.
She obviously had a powerful sway over him.
In the face of this rampant apostasy, Elijah led the struggle to keep
Yahweh worship alive. Appropriately, his name meant “my God is
Yahweh.The religious conflict came to a head when Elijah burst into
the presence of King Ahab and announced that there would be no dew
or rain except at God’s word
(1 Kings 17:1). This was a direct attack
on Baal, god of rain and, therefore, god of fertility. Ahab labeled
Elijah the “ ‘troubler of Israel’(1 Kings 18:17, NIV), but Elijah turned
the label back at him. It is not Elijah who is the cause for the drought,
but Ahab’s departure from the worship of Yahweh (vss. 16–18). Later,
on the summit of Mount Carmel (in the absence of Jezebel but in the
presence of Ahab), Elijah exposed the impotence of Baal and demon-
strated the power of Yahweh over rain. Ahab was as impotent as Baal.
Helplessly he watched the defeat of Baalism and the slaughter of the
hundreds of priests. Back home he had to explain to Jezebel why she
did not have to have food ready the next day for all the priests of Baal.
What kind of negative influences are you surrounded with?
What can you do, as much as possible, to negate those influ-
ences?
92
WEDNESDAY
September 12
Naboth’s Vineyard
How
did Ahab allow things to get so bad under his rule? The story of
Naboth’s vineyard gives us insights. Read 1 Kings 21:1–4. What do
we see here about the character of Ahab that explains so much?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
In 1 Kings 21:5–7 we see how Jezebel responded. What a contrast!
No wonder she was able to dominate the kingdom. While her husband
went home sulking, ready to give up, she conspired to get him what he
wanted. Her reaction is “Are you king of Israel or what?” Again we
see evidence that for Jezebel the issue was one of power and domina-
tion and that she was married to someone who would not stop her
quest to get it.
Read
the rest of the story (1 Kings 21:8–16). How did Jezebel go about
achieving her aims? What very clever ploy did she use? What does
this tell us about her?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Jezebel seemed to be quite aware of Israelite law; hence, she was
able to use it to her advantage. Besides the calling of a fast, which
meant that some horrible sin that needed to be dealt with had been
committed, she had Naboth accused of a crime that, she knew, would
lead to death
(Lev. 24:16). Then, finally, she had it arranged that at
least two witnesses would be summoned (Num. 35:30, Deut. 17:6),
which was required according to their law. This woman knew exactly
what she was doing; though someone who obviously didn’t follow the
religion of Yahweh, she knew how to exploit it to her advantage.
The rest of the chapter
(1 Kings 21:17–29) shows that though
Jezebel was the instigator of this crime, the Lord held Ahab respon-
sible, as well. Ahab knew what was going on and did nothing to stop
it. He was as guilty as his wife of this crime.
Think about how easy it is to use religion to exploit people. How
might you have been tempted to use faith to push people to do
what you want? Why must we be very careful not to allow our-
selves to fall into that trap?
93
THURSDAY
September 13
The End Comes . . .
Ahab’s and Jezebel’s deliberate actions in causing Israel to change
their allegiance to Baal worship and to participate in all the immoral-
ity associated with it could not fail to arouse God’s wrath. On top of
that, they added the sin of flaunting all norms of decent government
and perpetrated the cold-blooded murder of the innocent Naboth.
Their marriage was the worst possible combination: a weak-willed
king married to an unscrupulous and manipulative power-hungry
woman. No wonder it was a disaster for Israel.
How
ultimately did both Ahab and Jezebel meet their end? 1 Kings
22:29–40, 2 Kings 9:30–37.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
The baneful influence of this wretched alliance didn’t end only with
them. They were able to pass on their influence to the next generation.
Read
1 Kings 22:51–53. What does that tell us about the continued
influence of these two wicked people?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
“During his father’s reign, Ahaziah had witnessed the wondrous
works of the Most High. He had seen the terrible evidences that God
had given apostate Israel of the way in which He regards those who
set aside the binding claims of His law. Ahaziah had acted as if these
awful realities were but idle tales. Instead of humbling his heart before
the Lord, he had followed after Baal, and at last he had ventured upon
this, his most daring act of impiety. Rebellious, and unwilling to
repent, Ahaziah died, ‘according to the word of the Lord which Elijah
had spoken. ”—Ellen G. White,
Prophets and Kings, pp. 209, 210.
In what immediate ways have you been impacted by the sins of
others? What biblical principles, and promises, can you claim to
help alleviate the damage done?
94
FRIDAY
September 14
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “Exercise Authority With
Humility,” p. 215, in The Adventist Home.
Ahab was weak in moral power. His union by marriage with an
idolatrous woman of decided character and positive temperament
resulted disastrously both to himself and to the nation. Unprincipled,
and with no high standard of rightdoing, his character was easily
molded by the determined spirit of Jezebel. His selfish nature was
incapable of appreciating the mercies of God to Israel and his own
obligations as the guardian and leader of the chosen people.”—Ellen
G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 115.
Discussion Questions:
In many ways this week’s lesson was a lesson about the use of
power. What are the privileges that come with power? What are
the dangers? As a class, talk about the kind of power that comes
specifically with religion. What particular dangers must be
avoided in the wielding of the power associated with religion?
Why can this kind of power be the most dangerous, if abused?
How can we as a church help protect ourselves and others from
this kind of abuse?
Another lesson we can gather from this week’s study deals
with influence. In class, talk about the kind of influences we have
as individuals and as a church. What can we do to make sure
that our influence is as positive as possible, both in the world and
in the church?
Think about the first impression of your local church. Put
yourself in the position of a first-time visitor. What kind of
impression do you think your church makes? What are the
strong points? What are the weak points? What can you do as a
class to help make that first impression as good as it can be?
Summary:
Bad to begin with, Ahab became much worse under the
influence of Jezebel. No other couple abused their authority as much
as they did. God had to intervene to save both Israel and Judah from
ruin.
1
2
3
1
2
3
INSIDE
95
Caught Off Guard
by DAVID PRICE
Iris Chan loved to surf the Internet. She often slipped into Internet chat
rooms just to see what was happening. The last thing she expected to find
on the Internet was God.
Iris grew up in a Chinese family that did not believe in God or any reli-
gion. “For more than twenty-five years, I had shut God out of my life,” she
said.
Then in 2001 Iris hit an emotional brick wall during a traumatic break-
up. While surfing one day on the Internet, she entered a chat room and
there met a guy who lived not far from her in Sydney, Australia. This guy
surprised her by announcing that he was a Seventh-day Adventist
Christian and a vegetarian. Iris was surprised but not turned off. She
responded to him, and thus began an online friendship that eventually led
to Iris visiting a Seventh-day Adventist church.
Iris went, and the experience plunged her into a period of intense ques-
tioning about God and the Bible. The pastor patiently addressed her ques-
tions and helped her find the answers she needed. Iris admits that she was
still skeptical of Christianity when she accepted an invitation to attend a
Daniel and Revelation seminar. But there she saw the Bible as authentic
and reliable. After months of additional questions and answers, Iris sur-
rendered her life to Christ and was baptized.
Iris now uses her computer skills for God. She is her own church’s web-
master and has developed online Bible prophecy study courses as part of
the Greater Sydney Conference’s initiative in Internet outreach. She cur-
rently interacts with more than one hundred students online.
Iris’s story shows how God can use any medium to reach even non-
searchers and draw them to the feet of Jesus. “There is no medium that
God cannot use to reach people who are searching for something, even
something they cannot name,” Iris says.
The Adventist Discovery Center in Sydney, Australia, is constantly
seeking new ways to reach people with the gospel. Iris knows it will work,
for God used the Internet, the one thing she was passionate about, to reach
her soul.
DAVID PRICE
is associate dir
ector of the
Adventist Disco
very Center in Sydne
y
,
Australia.
S
tor
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
96
L ESSON
12
*September 15–21
Hosea and Gomer:
Forgiving
the Unfaithful
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This Week’s Study:
Hosea 1–3.
Memory Text:
“The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to
your wife again, though she is loved by another and is an adulter-
ess. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to
other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes’ (Hosea 3:1, NIV).
T
here are many who believe that the story of Hosea and Gomer
should not be taken literally. God, they believe, would not
require anyone, least of all a prophet, to undergo such a tragic
experience. Such people believe that the story should be understood
as an allegory.
But why? God used other prophets’ family lives to illustrate their
messages, so why not this one? Isaiah pointed out that he and his chil-
dren were signs and symbols in Israel from God
(Isa. 8:18). Jeremiah
was instructed not to marry or to have children, all in order to rein-
force his message of doom (Jer. 16:2–4). Ezekiel’s wife died and God,
who foretold it, instructed the prophet not to mourn for her (Ezek.
24:16).
Thus, we may take the story literally, as the experience of a prophet
who had a wife, lost her to other men, but lovingly took her back. This
is not an isolated incident. Throughout history men and women have
forgiven an unfaithful spouse and rebuilt a wholesome relationship.
The Week at a Glance:
The story of Hosea and Gomer pow-
erfully illustrates God’s love for His wayward people.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 22.
97
SUNDAY
September 16
Hosea and Gomer
When you consider the kind of intimate relationship that the Lord
sought with His people, a relationship compared with marriage (Hos.
2:19, 20; Isa. 62:5), then the imagery and symbolism that takes place
here becomes clearer.
From what we can tell, Hosea’s prophetic ministry spanned the
reigns of Uzziah (790–739), Jotham (750–732), Ahaz (735–715), and
Hezekiah (729 686), kings of Judah. This acknowledges a ministry
of about forty years and corresponds with the idea that both his min-
istry and his marriage commenced about the same time. Nothing more
is known about the prophet as a person. His father, Beeri, is not men-
tioned elsewhere in the Bible. His hometown is not identified. His
messages address the northern kingdom of Israel, and he surely
resided there, the only literary prophet to do so. These were the clos-
ing years of Israel’s history, but Hosea does not record the fall to
Assyria in 722
B.C. He must have moved to Judah and written his book
before that event. His ministry is dated by kings of Judah.
Based on numerous allusions to baking in Hosea 7:4–8, some sus-
pect that Hosea was a baker by profession. He describes the oven, its
fire, and the kneading and rising of the dough.
Read
Hosea 1:1, 2. What did God tell Hosea to do? What was the
symbolism behind this action? See also Jer. 3:1, 2, 9; 13:27; Ezek.
16:15, 16; 23:17–19.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Was Gomer a prostitute? While the NIV calls Gomer adulterous, the
Hebrew text does not call her a harlot but uses the phrase
“woman/wife of harlotry.There are several options: (1) She could be
the daughter or granddaughter of a harlot (some descendants drifted
into the profession themselves). (2) She could be a woman who shows
such tendencies. (3) She may be called a harlot by one with a
prophetic knowledge of the future. (4) The book was written years
later, by which time her character was fully known.
Gomer was obviously a real person. The value of Hosea’s relation-
ship with a real unfaithful wife has so much more meaning than if the
story were a mere allegory. The Lord used this account to give His
people a powerful message about what their spiritual unfaithfulness
was really like. No doubt He was seeking to draw them back to
Himself.
98
MONDAY
September 17
Gomer’s Unfaithfulness
Soon after Hosea married Gomer, we are told that she “bore him” a
son (Hos. 1:3, NIV). The text indicates that Hosea can claim to be the
father of the child. Gomer had two more children, but the text does not
say that she bore them to Hosea, just that she “gave birth to a daugh-
ter,” and “had another son”
(vss. 6, 8, NIV). The language allows for
Hosea not to have been the father. Some Bibles openly interpret the
texts to say just that.
The first son was named
Jezreel, which means “God scatters.” The
next child was a girl named Lo-ruhammah, which means “not loved.
Though God gives the names, it would be appropriate for Hosea to
indicate that he does not love a child that is not his. The final child is
a son named Lo-ammi, meaning “not my people.Again, this could be
a sign that Hosea does not accept the child as his. In fact, Hosea does
declare that he cannot show his love to her children because they are
the result of adultery, conceived in disgrace (Hos. 2:4, 5).
What
are Hosea’s charges regarding Gomer? Hos. 2:5, 8.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
It may seem preposterous to think that any person might not know
who brings home the food, but there are several ways to understand
and apply these passages. We may take a cue from the application to
the Israelites. They credited Baal—the god of rain and fertility—with
their harvests of the fields and vineyards (grain and wine), their wool,
and their oilseeds. They considered their gold and silver also as gifts
from Baal and used these metals lavishly in the manufacture of images
to him
(see Hos. 8:4, 13:2). Imagine God’s reaction to their obeisance
to Baal all the while He was providing rain for their crops in addition
to all their other blessings.
There is a certain blindness that comes in with sin. This blindness
causes reasoning to be clouded so that persons can come to such stu-
pid conclusions, conclusions they use to justify stupid actions.
What has been your own experience with the power of sin to
blind your mind? What other Bible accounts reveal this spir-
itual danger? See, for instance, John 9. What steps can you take
to protect yourself from falling into this blindness?
99
TUESDAY
September 18
Spiritual Adultery
As we’ve seen, if the Bible uses the idea of marriage to depict the
intimate relationship that God seeks with His people—then adultery,
even whoredom, are appropriate symbols of what happens when
God’s people are not spiritually faithful to Him.
Of all the ways that married people can hurt each other, adultery has
to be one of the worst. A married couple, through physical intimacy,
creates a sacred environment that only they themselves, as one flesh,
should ever enter. To violate that is to violate a sacred trust; it’s to
share with another what should belong only to that couple.
Read
Matthew 5:32. What can we discern here from Christ’s words
about just how bad adultery is?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
The real issue, however, in the story of Hosea isn’t marital infidelity;
it’s spiritual apostasy; it’s about God’s people going after other gods.
Today most of us are not polytheists; we don’t openly seek and wor-
ship what we believe are other divine entities (Satan knows we’re too
sophisticated for that). However, spiritual adultery isn’t dead among
us. There are numerous ways in which we can be lured into this kind
of adultery, even whoredom.
What
are some things that we face today that could lead us, as indi-
viduals, or even as a church, into spiritual adultery?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
We mustn’t be fooled: Bit by bit, little by little, we can slowly be
lured away from total dedication and faithfulness to God. Slowly but
surely the ways of the world, its methods, its ideology, and its moral
views can cause us to depart from the intimate and close relationship that
God wants with us, and before we know it, we’re committing spiritual
adultery.
None of us are immune to the temptations of spiritual adultery.
What are some Bible texts that, if obeyed, could help protect us?
Find the texts, write them down, and bring them to class on
Sabbath. See, f
or instance
, Phil. 4:8, Col. 2:6, 1 Pet. 4:1.
100
WEDNESDAY
September 19
Bearing the Fruit of Unfaithfulness
Sin is always what it has been: the most deadly and destructive force
in the universe. However pleasurable it can be, in one way or another,
it always reaps bitter results. How many men and women, for instance,
thinking they would find happiness through their adulterous affairs,
ended up bringing only sadness and pain to themselves and others?
What
happens to Gomer as she plays the harlot? Read Hos. 2:1–13.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
What
parable of Jesus does this story remind you of? See especially
Hos. 2:7.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
All through the history of ancient Israel, the people were tempted to
worship idols, images of “silver, and gold, of brass, iron, wood, and
stone, which see not, nor hear, nor know”
(Dan. 5:23). Again, we
might not be tempted today to bow down and worship idols, but we
can be just as easily swept away from God by things of the world that
in the end do not satisfy us, that cannot meet the deepest needs of our
hearts, and that cannot save us in the day of judgment
(see Jer. 2:27,
28).
A few years ago in the United States a man won the lottery, taking
home more than $113 million. Within a few years his life was
destroyed; the money that had become his god also became the thing
that led to his ruin.
The message that the Lord was seeking to teach His people through
the story of Hosea and Gomer was this: Be faithful to the only God
that there is, the only God who loves you and who can save you and
who can provide for your deepest needs.
What has been your own experience with God working to keep
you close to Him? How have you responded? What changes do
you need to make that will help you better respond to His
prompting?
101
THURSDAY
September 20
Amazing Love
Read
Hosea 2:14–23. Despite everything, what does the Lord tell
Hosea to do? What’s the message there for us?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Hosea had already condemned his wife, listed his accusations, and
twice passed his verdict. (1) “ ‘Therefore I will block her path . . .
(Hos. 2:6, NIV). (2) “ ‘Therefore I will take away my grain . . . (vs.
9, NIV). We are prepared for the third and final verdict; it turns out,
however, to be a surprise.
Hosea’s first method of keeping his wife at home could not be a
lasting solution. She was bound to escape sooner or later, and even if
she didn’t, there could be no real satisfaction in keeping her that way.
The second method had a greater chance for success. He had wooed
her and won her once before, and he could do it again, provided he
was sincere. Hosea was instructed not just to take her back but to love
her as the Lord loves the Israelites.
Read
Hosea 3. What happens here, and what does it symbolize?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Note that Hosea is not only to take her back but to love her. Not just
love her but love her as God loves His people. Hosea followed God’s
command again and bought her for 15 shekels of silver and a measure
of barley. A slave normally commanded a price of 30 shekels (Exod.
21:32), but either the barley made up for the difference, or else Gomer
went at a discount.
Hosea taking back his adulterous wife mirrors the historical situa-
tion. God loves His people Israel even though they have been adulter-
ous. This is the message delivered by Hosea in words and in action.
The Israelites can accept the faithfulness of God so much more easily
when they view the faithfulness of Hosea in taking back an unfaithful
wife.
Are you where you should be in terms of your relationship with
the Lord? Have you committed spiritual adultery? What hope
can you draw from the message that God has given us through
these chapters?
102
FRIDAY
September 21
Further Study:
Read Ellen G. White, “Moral Standards,” pp. 326–
339, in The Adventist Home.
The story related in these pages shows us just how willing God is to
forgive His erring children. Violation of marriage through infidelity
has to be one of the worst ways a person can betray another. And God
uses that imagery to depict how He views His own people’s spiritual
adultery. Yet, He’s willing to forgive them and take them back. These
chapters, if nothing else, reveal to God’s people the extent of His
grace.
“Jesus is our Saviour today. He is pleading for us in the most holy
place of the heavenly sanctuary, and he will forgive our sins. It makes
all the difference in the world with us spiritually whether we rely upon
God without doubt, as upon a sure foundation, or whether we are
seeking to find some righteousness in ourselves before we come to
him. Look away from self to the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin
of the world. It is a sin to doubt. The least unbelief, if cherished,
involves the soul in guilt, and brings great darkness and discourage-
ment. It is saying that the Lord is false, that he will not do as he has
promised; and he is greatly dishonored.”—Ellen G. White,
Gospel
Workers (1892), p. 426.
Discussion Questions:
As a class, go over the Bible verses you used to answer the
question at the end of Tuesday’s lesson. What practical principles
can you take from these texts that can help us, as individuals and
as a church, to protect ourselves from spiritual adultery?
As a class, talk about what you believe the basic message found
in these few chapters in Hosea is. What is the Lord telling us as a
church today through this story? What lessons should we not
draw from it?
Are there some church members who have fallen away? As a
class, make an effort to contact these people, to show them that
you care about them and that you are interested in them. In what
ways can you show them the kind of grace and mercy that God
has revealed to us through this story?
Summary:
The marriage of Hosea and Gomer is the best illustration
of forgiveness of an unfaithful spouse in the Bible. It’s also an exam-
ple of God’s willingness to forgive us.
1
2
3
1
2
3
INSIDE
103
One Man for God
by JOHN T. NOEL
I live in a village in southern Sudan. Most people here belong to a
Protestant church that has been working here for 100 years. Then John
Charles came to our village. One Sunday he came to visit, and I invited
him to worship with me. I was surprised when he said he had worshiped
God the day before. “Where do you worship on Saturday?” I asked. He
told me that he worshiped in his hut, reading the Bible, singing, and pray-
ing alone.
“What do you believe that makes you worship on Saturday?” I asked
him.
He answered, “First, let me tell you about Jesus.
I told him I knew about Jesus, but he said if I truly knew about Jesus, I
would follow His commandments. After a long talk, he invited my brother
and me to come to his home and hear more. John Charles read about God’s
love from the Bible. He explained that God has outlined principles He
wants us to live by. He turned to the Ten Commandments and read each
one. When he read the fourth commandment, I realized that this was why
John Charles worshiped on Saturday. My brother and I believed.
Our friends warned us that John Charles was a false teacher, but I shared
with them what he had taught us, including the Ten Commandments.
Eventually ten of us studied with John Charles. We all believed, but our
families refused to allow us to leave our Protestant church without a fight.
My father even brought his spear to try to convince me to reconsider. I
refused. But I had a problem. Like many men here, I had two wives. I
asked God what to do, and He told me to choose the wife who will share
my faith. So I took both wives to the Bible studies with me. My first wife
did not want to follow my faith. So I gave her a dowry, and she returned
to her parents’ village. My second wife accepted the beliefs I now love,
and we have been baptized.
Some of the new believers have become lay evangelists to other villages.
I remained in my village, where I study with people who want to know
more about God. So far 28 people here have become Adventists and more
than one hundred in the area, thanks to John Charles’ fearless ministry.
Even my parents are interested in learning God’s truths from the Bible.
Your mission offerings are making a difference in the lives of many in
Sudan and throughout the world.
JOHN T. NOEL
shares his faith in his home villa
g
e in southern Sudan.
S
tor
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
104
L ESSON
13
*September 22–28
Yahweh and Israel:
Fulfillment Beyond
Failure
SABBATH AFTERNOON
Read for This W
eek’s Study:
Exod. 3:6–14; 6:6–8;
Josh. 24:1–18; Jer. 5:19, 22; Ezek. 16:26–29, 34; Hosea 9:1; John
20:21; Phil. 4:4; 1 Thess. 1:6; 1 John 2:12.
Memory Text:
‘For your Maker is your husband—the Lord
Almighty is his name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer;
he is called the God of all the earth’
(Isaiah 54:5, NIV).
H
osea, the last prophet to the northern kingdom, Israel, employed
the metaphor of marriage to illustrate the relationship between
Yahweh and His people. His tragic personal life intertwined
with his prophetic ministry. He took back his unfaithful wife to show
that Yahweh was prepared to take His wayward people back.
A hundred years later Jeremiah, the last prophet before the
Babylonian captivity, tried to prevent Judah from a similar fate. The
people of Judah should have learned a lesson from their sister, Israel,
but did not.
Ezekiel, at the same time, ministered to the captives in Babylon. Both
prophets borrowed the marriage metaphor for Judah. Jeremiah himself
never married. God instructed him not to marry or to enter a house for
a feast because the sounds of gladness and of marriage were coming to
an end
(Jer. 16:2–4, 8, 9). Ezekiel’s wife was taken away suddenly as a
sign that the temple was about to be destroyed (Ezek. 24:15–21).
The Week at a Glance:
Despite His people’
s unfaithful
-
ness, the Lord was willing to give them another chance.
*Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, September 29.
105
SUNDAY
September 23
The Beginning of the Relationship
“I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you
loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not
sown. Israel was holy to the Lord” ’
(Jer. 2:2, 3, NIV).
Yahweh identified Himself to Moses and declared that He was
about to fulfill His promises to Israel (Exod. 3:6–14, 6:6–8). God
promised to make them His own people and to give them a land of
their own to dwell in.
The prophets considered the time of the journey through the desert
like a honeymoon period, a time they were loyal to Yahweh and did not
follow other gods. The Israelites experienced a great deliverance in
the Exodus, and that event could be likened to the inauguration of the
“marriage” promises.
How
did Joshua understand what the Lord, through upholding His end
of the covenant, had done and would do for Israel? See Joshua 24.
vss. 3, 4
____________________________________________________________________
vss. 5–7
____________________________________________________________________
vss. 8–12
____________________________________________________________________
vs. 13
____________________________________________________________________
What
were the things the Israelites needed to do in return? See Josh.
24:14–18.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
If you read the words of the Israelites as expressed in the above
texts, you can’t help coming away with the fervor and sincerity of their
expression. God forbid that we should serve any other gods! After all,
look at what He has done for us!
How often have you made a vow to the Lord, in all sincerity and
fervor at the time, only to violate it later? What can you do to
better ensure that you will remain faithful to the things you’ve
promised to the Lord?
106
MONDAY
September 24
Unfaithfulness of the Bride
The reigns of David and Solomon were characterized by general
loyalty to Yahweh. But to prevent his subjects from journeying south
to the temple and there getting tempted to defect to Judah, Jeroboam,
the first king of Israel in the north, constructed golden calves at Dan
and Bethel (1 Kings 12:28–30). Since he appointed his own priests,
the Levites from all the districts of Israel migrated to Judah (2 Chron.
11:13–16). Later kings who led Israel to follow other gods were
likened to Jeroboam I (1 Kings 16:7, 26).
The prophets condemned Israel and Judah for exchanging God’s
glory for worthless idols (Hos. 4:7, Jer. 2:11) and for resorting to
seeking help from other nations, instead of relying on Yahweh (Jer.
2:18). This abandoning of trust by Judah in Yahweh, Jeremiah
charges, is like forgetting her marriage to Yahweh—forgetting her
wedding jewelry and ornaments (vs. 32).
What
graphic image do the prophets use to describe Israel’s and
Judah’s unfaithfulness?
Jer. 5:7
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Ezek. 16:26–29, 34
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____________________________________________________________________
Hos. 9:1
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____________________________________________________________________
At one moment the relationship is described as like a man and
woman on their honeymoon; the next thing you know, the bride is
depicted as selling herself into whoredom. Even worse, Ezekiel
declares that although most prostitutes charged a fee, Judah was pre-
pared to make a payment for providing her own services
(Ezek. 16:34)!
Imagine a woman having a loving, caring husband, one who offers to
give her so much, who does all for her that he possibly can (Isa. 5:4),
and yet she abandons that relationship for a string of men who want
her only for carnal pleasure.
It makes no sense, and that’s because sin makes no sense. Unless we
are surrendered dail
y to God
, sin will cause us to do things just as
reckless and foolish.
What reckless and stupid things have you seen people do
because of sin? How can you protect yourself from allowing sin
to do the same thing to y
ou?
107
TUESDAY
September 25
Reaping the Fruits of Unfaithfulness
Though the Bible uses the image of an unfaithful woman, men have
proved even more likely to be unfaithful to their spouse. Either way,
as so often the case, someone commits adultery, thinking to find hap-
piness where they are forbidden to seek it, only to discover misery and
suffering instead.
A man left his wife for another woman. Within two years his lover
had milked him for every cent he had; she had given him an incurable
venereal disease; and, finally, she had left him for another man.
Penniless, diseased, and heartbroken, he begged his former wife to
take him back. She refused. Amid all this, the man had the audacity to
ask, “Why, God, why have You allowed this to happen to me?”
How often the punishment befits the crime. Living in the Land of
Promise hinged on the children of Israel’s loyalty to Yahweh. When
they forsook Him in favor of other gods, Yahweh was under no obli-
gation to keep protecting them from the armies of other nations. They
were left to reap the fruits of their unfaithfulness.
Read
Jeremiah 5:19. What important principle is seen here? See also
Gal. 6:7.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Read
Jeremiah 5:22. What is the Lord saying to His people? What
principle is He explaining to them? What warning is implied here,
as well?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
God created us; He knows more about us than we do. And He
knows what’s best for us; and because He loves us, He wants what’s
best for us. That’s why He commands us to obey Him (Deut. 10:13).
By following His law, by living in harmony with the principles He has
established, we can be protected from so much unnecessary pain and
suffering.
What has been your own experience with the protections and
safety that come from obedience? What lessons have you been
forced to learn the hard way?
108
WEDNESDAY
September 26
Restoration
By allowing Israel and Judah to be taken captive out of the land that
had been covenanted to them, God was, in effect, “divorcing” them
(Jer. 3:8). However, this wasn’t to be the last word. At first Jeremiah
declared that the sounds of joy and gladness and the voices of the
bride and bridegroom would be silenced (Jer. 7:34, 16:9, 25:10).
Later he added that the period of silence would be limited, and once
more the sound of bride and bridegroom would be heard in the land
(Jer. 33:11).
Why
would the sound be considered the sound of joy, of mirth, of glad-
ness? What message was the Lord giving His people then—and us
today? See also John 20:21, Phil. 4:4, 1 Thess. 1:6, 1 John 2:12.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
What
promises did God make to His unfaithful bride? Jer. 25:11,
29:10, Ezek. 16:60.
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
With the threat of punishment the prophets included a ray of hope.
When Jeremiah declared that the sounds of joy and gladness and the
voices of the bride and bridegroom would be silenced
(Jer. 7:34,
16:9),
he added later that the period of silence would be limited to 70
years (Jer. 25:11). Then their oppressors would be overthrown. Hosea
spoke of a period for Israel when there would be no pregnancy, no
conception
(Hos. 9:11), but after this would come a time of healing
and love (Hos. 14:4). So, God’s action is not really punishment, but
discipline.
The prophets urged Israel to return to Yahweh, promising that He
would be faithful in accepting them back. They were confident that
Israel would return, but the restoration of the relationship can rest only
on one condition—that God’s people in returning to Him should aban-
don their idolatrous wa
ys, obey His commands, and rely completely
on Yahweh again.
109
THURSDAY
September 27
New Covenant Promises
It’s bad enough, a woman being unfaithful to her spouse; yet, the
imagery used was that of a woman who sold herself into prostitution.
How low! And yet, as we have seen, the Lord was still willing to take
Israel back, still willing to forgive, still willing to heal the broken rela-
tionship. The Lord promised that He would make atonement for all
that Israel has done
(Ezek. 16:63). Not only would He take them back,
but He would do even more for them.
Read
Jeremiah 31:31–37 (see also Gal. 3:29; Heb. 8:7–13; 10:16, 17).
What is the message for ancient Israel, and for us today? What
hope, what promises, are found there for us?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Not only would the Lord forgive their sins; He promised to write the
law in their hearts, to impress it on their minds (Jer. 31:33). This text
is the foundation of the gospel, the mystery of grace. This is the new
covenant, and it forms the foundation of His promises to all who have
given themselves to Jesus in faith and obedience.
We might fall, we might sin, we might make mistakes, but thanks to
Jesus—and the fullness of what He has done and is doing for us—God
will not forsake us. The plan of salvation, at its heart, offers us all for-
giveness; no sin is too great, no sinner too bad, that forgiveness can’t
be found at the foot of the Cross. This was, in its own context, the
message that God gave to ancient Israel; and it is, in our context, that
of the light shining from the cross of Calvary, the message that the
Lord has for His people today. Even if we have “played the harlot,
our loving and caring husband, the Lord, loves us and wants to take us
back. He, though, doesn’t force us; instead, He draws us with “bands
of love”
(Hos. 11:4).
Have you played the harlot? Have you spurned God’s love? His
words to you are, “Come back! I will heal and forgive.The
question now is, What is your response?
110
FRIDAY
September 28
Further Study:
“The Role of Israel in Old Testament Prophecy,
pp. 25–38, in The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 4.
“Nor were these the only prophecies upon which the exiles had
opportunity to base their hope of speedy deliverance. The writings of
Jeremiah were within their reach, and in these was plainly set forth the
length of time that should elapse before the restoration of Israel from
Babylon. ‘When seventy years are accomplished, the Lord had fore-
told through His messenger, ‘I will punish the king of Babylon, and
that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the
Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. Jeremiah 25:12.
Favor would be shown the remnant of Judah, in answer to fervent
prayer. ‘I will be found of you, saith the Lord: and I will turn away
your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all
the places whither I have driven you, saith the Lord; and I will bring
you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away cap-
tive. Jeremiah 29:14.”—Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, pp. 552,
553.
Discussion Questions:
As a class, talk more about the question of how sin causes peo-
ple to do irrational and reckless things. How is it that people who
know better nevertheless allow themselves to be swept away by
their passions? What can we do, if anything, to help someone we
see heading down that path?
Talk about the idea of God’s law being a protection.What does
that mean? How does it protect us? What does it protect us from?
At the same time, too, why is faithfulness to the law and to the
principles of living that God has given us no guarantee that we
will not suffer?
Wednesday’s lesson talked about the joy, happiness, and peace
that come from being in a saving relationship with our Lord. Talk
about just what it is about serving the Lord that brings joy, hap-
piness, and peace. Let each member share their own experiences.
Seek to learn from each other. Why, in a world full of idols (in
whatever form they come), is it important to focus on the bless-
ings and good things that we have been given as children of God?
Summary:
Though the Israelites failed Yahweh, we must not judge
them. After all, how faithful are we—who have them as an example—
to our covenant v
o
ws to the Lord?
1
2
3
1
2
3
INSIDE
111
A Fisherman’s Prayer
by A. B. ARLOO
The African country of Ghana has a large and vibrant Adventist pres-
ence. But unreached areas remain, such as the Afram Plains of eastern
Ghana. This region, with nearly impassible terrain and a harsh climate, is
difficult to enter. Until recently most of the 1.6 million people living there
had never heard the Adventist message. In 2002 a team of Global Mission
pioneers entered the Afram Plains to sow the seed of the gospel. One day
the evangelists learned that God had, indeed, gone before them to prepare
the soil.
Maxwell Vitashi is an old fisherman in the area. One day he paddled his
boat upstream for several miles in search of a good catch. But as he
dragged in his nets, his boat suddenly capsized, and he was tossed into the
swift-flowing waters.
Maxwell swam toward the nearest shore, but the river was wide, and his
strength began to fail. He feared that he would die. Although he was not a
Christian, he prayed, “God, save me.” Suddenly he felt a powerful force
push him to a spot between two tree stumps. He grabbed the stumps and
hung on, gasping for breath. He looked around. He was utterly alone. His
hands grew numb from the cold water, and he wondered whether he would
still die in the river. Again he prayed.
From nowhere a boat appeared. Two men paddled toward Maxwell,
lifted him from his perch, and settled him into their boat. They paddled
toward the riverbank and carried him to the shore, where they gently laid
him on the ground. Maxwell heaved a weary sigh. Then he quickly sat up
to thank the men who had saved him. They were gone. He scanned the
beach and the river, but he found no sign of the men who had saved him.
Maxwell stumbled into the village, where he told everyone what had
happened. “Who were the men?” many asked. But Maxwell did not know.
He had lived in this region his entire life and had never seen them before.
Maxwell lost his boat that day, but he rejoices that the God of the uni-
verse stepped down to save his life and reveal His presence to a humble
fisherman who, until then, did not even know God’s name.
When the Global Mission pioneers arrived in his village shortly after
Maxwell’s experience, the fisherman welcomed them and invited his fam-
ily and friends to listen and learn about the God who heard his desperate
prayers.
A. B. ARLOO
is the Global Mission and Sa
bbath Sc
hool dir
ector f
or the East Ghana
Conference in Koforidua, Ghana.
S
tor
Produced by the General Conference Office of Adventist Mission.
Web site: www.adventistmission.org
2007
112
Bible Study Guide for the Fourth Quarter
This quarter’s study, The Refiner’s Fire by Gavin Anthony, will
delve into why we, as Christians who have committed our lives to
Christ, also experience suffering. We know Christ Himself was no
stranger to suffering. This study will show us that pain, suffering, and
loss do not mean that God has abandoned us. But rather, it will show
that God gives us meaning and purpose in these difficult times, and,
above all, we can trust Him.
Lesson 1
—The Shepherd’s Crucible
The Week at a Glance:
SUNDAY: A Guide for the Journey: The Shepherd (Ps. 23:1)
MONDAY: Locations on the Journey (Ps. 23:3, NRSV)
TUESDAY: Unexpected Detour 1: The Valley (Ps. 23:4, NKJV)
WEDNESDAY: Unexpected Detour 2: The Surrounded Table (Ps.
23:5, NKJV)
THURSDAY: A Certain Promise for the Journey (Ps. 23:6, NKJV)
Memory Text—
Psalm 23:3
Sabbath Gem:
At times we feel we have been treated unfairly,
betrayed, or led into the valley of death as described in our memory
text. But God clearly promises to us that He will restore us and use
these painful experiences to train us in righteousness.
Lesson 2
—The Crucibles
That Come
The Week at a Glance:
SUNDAY: Surprises (1 Pet. 4:12, NIV)
MONDAY: Crucibles of Satan (1 Pet. 5:8, NKJV)
TUESDAY: Crucibles of Sin (Rom. 1:8, NKJV)
WEDNESDAY: Crucibles of Purification (Jer. 9:7, NKJV)
THURSDAY: Crucibles of Maturity (2 Cor. 12:7, NKJV)
Memory Text—
1 Peter 4:12, 13, NIV
Sabbath Gem:
God often allows us to experience difficult cir-
cumstances that cause our characters to change, develop, and grow.
We need to begin to recognize how God works in our lives to better
understand what our response should be.
Lessons for the Visually Impaired
The regular Adult Sabbath School
Bible Study Guide
is available free each month in braille and on audiocassette to
sight-impaired and physically handicapped persons who cannot read normal ink
print. This includes individuals who, because of arthritis, multiple sclerosis, paralysis,
accident, and so f
orth, cannot hold or focus on normal ink-print publications. Contact
Christian Record Services, Box 6097, Lincoln, NE 68506-0097.